Life-long Lessons of Team

Let me throw a few words at you. (P.S.- They're not mine...)

Unbeaten... gritty... solid... smart... hard-nosed... dedicated... aggressive... unheralded... tough... Herculean... stellar... clutch... game-changing... talented... electric... swift... sportsmanship... poise... camaraderie... commitment... and, MIRACULOUS.

These are all words that have been used by the Sun-Chronicle's Mark Farinella in articles, columns, and blog postings during the last six weeks to describe the actions and characteristics of the 2010 edition of the Mansfield High School football team. Mark is a talented guy (and a proud MHS alum) who I consider to be a friend to our school community. Most importantly, he has aptly captured the incredible run of this team which culminated in last Saturday's 29-26 Division II Super Bowl victory over Reading. And what a run it has been!

Over the course of this season I have heard more than once that this Hornet squad was not the biggest- and maybe not the most naturally gifted. However, any shortcomings were always made up with their hard work, heart, and character. Granted, there have been some big time performances by some prime time players on this team... but different students have stepped up at key moments in critical games. You could see this squad's intelligence and confidence build as the season progressed, particularly after that critical North Attleboro game. They had the character to set goals, persevere through practice, and as the motto has been for years, "never surrender"! And that is the very definition of what team is all about, as the whole became greater than the sum of the parts.

I would urge all of these fine students- particularly our seniors- to savor this championship for the coming months, for there is plenty to be proud. Well after you graduate the years will pile up and some of the memories may fade a bit, but never forget the life long lesson of the value of being part of a successful team. Never forget the careful mentoring from this great coaching staff. Never forget the attention to detail that you put into your practices and game preparations. Never forget how you pushed but also supported one another. Never forget the lessons of true sportsmanship that you've learned both on and off the field.

I truly hope you can apply it to other aspects of your lives well after MHS... and there too you will be champions.

Congratulations!

Accountability Redux

This past week the New York Times ran two columns by Thomas Friedman dealing with the current state of affairs in American education. I found them filled with insight, particularly as we inch toward the implementation of the reforms of Race to the Top. A major portion of these reforms deal with standards and accountability, as they mandate that principal and teacher effectiveness be in part judged by student assessment results. Furthermore, results of standardized tests such as the MCAS will now be "drilled down" to the teacher level. Therefore, within the next year you will be able to access the aggregate results and Student Growth Percentile median values for a specific teacher. According to Race to the Top guidelines, these figures must be used for a portion of each teacher's formal evaluation. The intent behind this new system is to recognize and reward effective teachers and to weed out ineffective ones. The RTTT Program provides competitive grant money for districts who take it one step further and implement a merit pay system to reward the most effective teachers.

The challenges of implementing such a system will be great, as is always, the devil is in the details (which still have not been unveiled by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education). To be sure, all of us working in schools should be held to the highest standards of accountability, as the bottom line is student achievement. If our kids are successful, so are we. In that sense, I applaud RTTT for bringing data and transparency to a new level. However, as Friedman's column, "Teaching for America" points out, is there faulty logic in some of the philosophical underpinnings of RTTT? Some notions worthy of consideration:

• There are presently 3.2 million active teachers in the U.S. Within the next ten years it is estimated that nearly one half will retire (the baby boomers). There clearly will be teacher shortages. If the premise of RTTT is to get rid of ineffective teachers, where exactly are all of the candidates waiting in the wings to take the place of all of the bad teachers? I know from personal experience that there are presently a dearth of high quality candidates in certain content areas, particularly in the critical STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. Friedman makes the case that teacher training programs need to be made more rigorous, and perhaps like nations that outperform us on international tests- such as Singapore, South Korea, and Finland- only the best and brightest should be permitted to enter the teaching profession. In these nations only graduates who finish in the top third of their class are allowed to become teachers. If the U.S. adopted such a system, teacher compensation would have to be much greater than it is today.

• In today's knowledge economy, all graduates must possess essential skills such as the ability to problem solve, critically think, effectively communicate, and collaborate. This point is consistently driven home in the research and is highlighted in Tony Wagner's recent work, The Global Achievement Gap. However, as rigorous of a state assessment the MCAS may be, does it measure all of these skills in a comprehensive manner? Therefore, should teacher effectiveness be confined to just this assessment? Or should we be using multiple measures of learning, some of which are performance-based in nature (e.g., portfolios, senior projects, exhibitions, etc.)? Wouldn't these better get at the heart of these essential skills?

• The push for greater teacher effectiveness is only one side of the coin. We should do everything to reform our practices and ensure that all kids reach the highest standards. All of our schools should strive to be creative and do whatever it takes. Anything less is unacceptable. But this will get us only so far.... Part of the accountability dialogue must be around how ready to learn our students come to school. It is hardly a surprise that the annual Boston Globe Listing of District MCAS Performance is usually in the same rank order of the socioeconomic status of the 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. It has been well documented since the federal Coleman Report of 1966 that home-related factors, such as socioeconomic status, access to health care, stable housing, etc., are the greatest factors in predicting a child's academic success, far outweighing school-related factors. Furthermore, how the parent supports the school and his child's learning, effort, and habits of mind is also paramount. As Friedman concludes his column:

"... If we want better teachers we also need better parents — parents who turn off the TV and video games, make sure homework is completed, encourage reading and elevate learning as the most important life skill. The more we demand from teachers the more we have to demand from students and parents. That’s the Contract for America that will truly ensure our national security."

Where are these ideas in the accountability dialogue?

Happy Thanksgiving.... Mansfield 32, Foxboro 12

Congrats to the Mansfield Hornets, who were 32-12 winners over rival Foxboro in the annual Thanksgiving tilt. The win, which was the fourth consecutive one on Turkey Day, left little doubt who was the Hockomock League champion. Stalwart tailback Jamal Marshall (pictured above) gave a gritty effort with 78 yards rushing on 12 carries while battling bronchitis. However, the Don Currivan MVP Award was presented to junior QB George Busharis (pictured below with his parents) for his outstanding performance (9 for 11, 223 yards, 3 TDs). Congratulations!

The Hornets finish the regular season with a 10-1 record and a perfect 9-0 mark in the Hock. They next face Walpole in the Division 2 playoffs this Tuesday night, 11/30 at 7:45 pm at Weymouth High School.

Strike Up One for the Band!

The MHS Band marching down Fifth Avenue, NYC on St. Patrick's Day, 1957

If you know MHS Band Director Peter Conti, you know he is a talker. Big time. I cherish our nearly everyday chats where he fills me in on the latest on his family, the band, and what's happening in the community. I also value his institutional knowledge, as Peter is a lifelong Mansfield resident and a proud member of the MHS Class of '76. On many occasions he has shared anecdotes about the halcyon days of the band in the 50's, 60's, and 70's when it dominated the social landscape of our school. These were the days when one-third to one-half of the student body was a member of the band, drill team, or colorguard, and there was a very real sense of cache in being part of it. (Mind you, the sports teams weren't exactly championship caliber in those days.) Additionally, when the band performed in competition, from Boston to Disneyworld to Ireland, it always outshined the other schools. To say the least, Peter's descriptions of the band's accomplishments are epic in proportion.

This point came clearer to me with last weekend's MHS Band Reunion, where members of the band from the years 1950 to 1980 gathered in Mansfield not only to reminisce but to also pay tribute to band director Jim Gallo, who served MHS for 29 years during that era. As part of the weekend's events, last Saturday over 200 band alumni marched down Main Street with our current band, led by Jim and Peter. That evening over 300 gathered at the Holiday Inn for a banquet in Jim's honor. Many had traveled great distances to participate, as far as Washington state and Alabama. As I had the pleasure of attending, I was struck by the deep fondness and gratitude that our band alum had for their experiences and their teacher, Jim Gallo.

Like all great programs in any school, the MHS band had great leadership. Along with the late, great Bob Dolan (who served as the drill team and colorguard director), Jim built up the program from the ground. From speaking with the alumni, it is clear that Jim's passion and commitment were the driving force for such success. Jim ate, drank, slept, and breathed MHS Band, Drill Team, and Colorguard. He had the vision of what it could be and then applied 29 years of hard work to see it though.

But perhaps the greatest measure of Jim's greatness as an educator was his ability to connect with all of his students on a personal level. Not only was Jim a teacher but a mentor to thousands of MHS students. He had that perfect blend of being an authoritative role model that demanded excellence and a caring adult who consistently communicates genuine concern. Although I never worked with Jim or even observed him, this fact was clear from hearing from the alumni individually and during the banquet's presentations. He touched so many lives, and this is the essence of his success. This was true 60 years ago when Jim started... and it is true today.

I am happy and proud that Jim's legacy lives on today in so many ways with his outstanding student, Peter Conti. Many thanks to Peter and the Band Reunion Committee (Chaired by Barbara Kudzol, '62) for putting on a great event!

Jim Gallo leads the alumni and band down Main Street, Saturday November 6

The mentor (Jim Gallo) and his student (Peter Conti) on the town common, November 6

Foreign Language Honor Societies Induction 2010

It was a great night last Thursday as the 24th annual Foreign Language Honor Society Induction Ceremony at Mansfield High School was held in the MHS Auditorium. Seventy-four French and Spanish students were inducted into the Société Honoraire de Français sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French and the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

These honor societies are national organizations and the criteria for selection is uniform, mandated, and of the highest caliber. Each inductee has maintained at least a 90 average in his or her respective language for two years prior to consideration. In addition, the inductee must have a cumulative scholastic average of 80% or above in all other subjects.

As I am asked to do every year, I gave some opening remarks, striving to even give a few words of wisdom in French (thank you, Mrs. Gildersleeve and Mr. Benoit!). I congratulated the inductees and current members, reminding them that they were well on their way to acquiring a 21st century skill, the ability to speak another language. This is a skill that I believe will soon be a necessity in our global economy, as I have recently read of the emergence of more English speakers in China than in the United States within the next twenty years, underscoring the need for a second or even third language acquisition.

Senior members of each society, David Brown, Matthew Cioe, Bridget Davis and Maura Harwood conducted the ceremonies in the target languages. Walter Xu, Co-President of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, and Jonathan Paz, member of the Société Honoraire de Français, opened and closed the ceremony, marked by the passing of the candle of knowledge and presentations by both societies. French Vice-President Kevin Sankey introduced the French song, “Un p’tit air de 1925”, reminding the students of times where having fun did not need to involve iPods or Playstations. The Spanish song, “El Universo Sobre Mi” ably introduced by Spanish Co-Secretary Kirby Viera, reminded us to be happy to be alive and to enjoy all that life has to offer.

The seniors who participated in 2010 Spanish exchange program with the town of Aranjuez, Spain were the guest speakers. Kristina Ivas, Faye Harwell (SHH), Catherine Hamel (Co-President, SHH) and Kylie Nelson (SHH) shared their personal experiences and photographs with the inductees and the audience. Their presentations all reflected on both hosting the Spanish students here in the United States as well as their experiences in Granada, Madrid and Aranjuez.

A reception in the main lobby of the High School followed the ceremony.

The following students are the 2010 inductees:
Société Honoraire de Français
Krishna Bandi , Lindsay Beise, Medha Biswas, Michael Blackman, Laura Burnham, Lauren Connors, Brent Doherty, Taylor Donnelly, David Elofson, Brett Fortin, Carlos Gómez, Ashley Goverman, Katherine Hogan, Amanda Iandoli , Thomas Joncas, Sowmya Kuruganti, Marielle Lajoie, Andrew Marcaccio, Ennya Monestime, Meghan Parrett, Joseph Presentato, Kristina Rothchild, Michaela St. Jean, and Christopher Walsh

Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (pictured above)
Micaela Allen, Joshua Bayliss, Michaela Bowes, Joshua Buonpane, Brianne Burke, Meghan Carroll, Milena Casamassima, Megan Cole, Anna Craft, Catherine DeBruyn, Richard Erickson, Brian Ferreira, Michelle Flynn, Andrea Gemme, Kevin Giffels, Melissa Godfrey, Anne Claire Grammer, Morgan Grant, Matthew Harris, Katherine Hrach, Michelle Ivanoski, Elijah Karpf, Joshua Lampron, Nicholas Leonard, Patrick Maloney, Aubrey Matthews, Paige MacPherson, Victoria Mello, Nathaniel Michener, Colleen Moore, Hanna Nash, Allison Neenan, Mitchell Negus, Christopher Nugent, Gabriel O’Connor, Terrence O’Mara, Nicole O’Neill, Ariana Pasquantonio, Luke Pastor, Kailee Paulson, Kenneth Ratliff, Colleen Riley, Cori Roach, Nathaniel Somes, Theresa St. James, Andrew Sullivan, Jessica Todesco, Guy Vareewong, Jack Vultaggio, and Laura Whalen

To these fine students, felicidades and bonne chance!

Thoughts on "Waiting for Superman"

This past week I had the opportunity to see the documentary Waiting for Superman, a thought-provoking film about the current state of American public education. The work, directed by David Guggenheim (of An Inconvenient Truth fame) has received a considerable amount of press. The title is a metaphor for where we seemingly are: waiting for a powerful solution, a "Superman," to rescue us by improving outcomes in our schools, as by all national and international measures, student achievement has been flat for the past 35 years.

The film portrays the stories of elementary and middle school-aged children from New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC who are in so-so to poor schools. Their prospects are poor at best, as they will be soon transitioning to middle or high schools that Guggenheim terms as "failure factories," schools that are rife with chaos and disengagement. Thus, each of the children's parents enroll their student in a lottery for various charter schools, ones portrayed as remarkable schools where they can beat the odds of failure. Unfortunately there are very few openings versus applications, and as the film climaxes, the viewer knows that very few of these children will actually get into these charter schools.

At least half of the film is dedicated to charter schools that have posted impressive gains in student achievement, most notably the Harlem Promise Academy and the KIPP Academy in New York City. These amazing schools have visionary founders like Geoffrey Canada, a committed educator and reformer who passionately believes that it's great teachers that make all the difference. In fact, the film repeatedly stresses this fact... and eventually segues into an indictment of the systems and structures that impede the removal of ineffective teachers. Here is where the educational bureaucracy and teachers unions take their shots, as Guggenheim shares the most over-the-top stories of adult entitlement and protection of the incompetent.

Being a former charter school director, by no means do I believe that they are a panacea. Trust me, there are plenty of bad charter schools out there. (Guggenheim glosses over very quickly that only 1 in 5 have results superior to traditional public schools.) However, the beauty of their existence is that they offer a new way of doing business- and specifically innovation- for our neediest kids. I have been at charter school lotteries for schools such as Providence's Times2 Academy, where just like the ones in the film, being selected as a student is often a 1 in 50 proposition. When it happens, the students and parents cry tears of joy, as if they have won millions of dollars in an actual state lottery. This is truly bittersweet to observe.

It should be pointed out that successful schools like the Harlem Promise Academy and KIPP are true labors of love, where the staff are deeply committed, going well beyond the parameters of what we typically expect in a school. Students in these schools attend for 8-10 hours per day, and many of their social services needs are tended to. I have personally known teachers at similar schools, and their accessibility to students and their families is great, as contact at home during the evenings and weekends is the norm. In some cases, staff act as parent figures, as they are the most meaningful adults in their students' lives. It is apropos that one of the children featured in Waiting for Superman is attempting to get into Washington DC's The SEED School. The SEED School is a public charter boarding school, as a 24-hour education in academic, life skills, and enrichment is delivered to inner city youth. Like the other schools portrayed in the film, staff at the SEED School are committed to doing what ever it takes so all of their kids may learn at the highest levels.

Am I suggesting that all schools must take such measures? Hardly. However, we must change how we do business- and the film does a great job in driving that point home. So many of our structures in public education are relics of the past, as they were created in the late 1800's or early 1900's, designed to educate children of the industrial age. These children were well-prepared to find jobs in the manufacturing and service industries, with a select few going on to college. This system will no longer work today, where students need to go to college to be competitive in our economy.

Like the featured charter schools, we must always do "whatever it takes." We must be innovative- and use research-based practices that improve student results. We can longer expect that a 180 day, 6 hr. school model will let us be competitive with our global counterparts. We can no longer have a "one size fits all" approach to teaching and learning.

During the film's closing minutes, several tag lines are interspersed with the credits. One reads, "Our education system is broken." Another reads "We know what works in schools."

After a fade to black, it is followed by "We must do it."

Amen.

The (Dis)Connected Generation?

"Jumping off the gw bridge sorry"

These disturbing words were the last status update that Tyler Clementi, 18, a Rutgers University freshman, posted to his Facebook page hours before taking his own life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. As I am sure you have heard of this tragic story recently in the press, Clementi was distraught after being cyberbullied by his roommate and the roommate's friend.

There are also recent reports of four teenage suicides in the past two years, all of the teens being students at Mentor High School in Mentor, OH. According to several accounts, these students experienced extreme cases of bullying where they were hate was constantly spewed at them verbally and online due to their nationality, appearance, dress, likes, and sexual orientation. To same that these students were dehumanized by the bullies would be an understatement.

Therefore, I read an article in this morning's Boston Globe entitled, "The Empathy Deficit" with great interest. The author, Keith O'Brien, makes the point that today's youth are connected to one another more than ever (vis-a-vis cell phones, texting, IM, social networking, etc.), however, recent research from the University of Michigan shows that college students today are 40% less empathetic than they were in 1979, with the sharpest decline occurring in the last 10 years. Additionally they note that more college aged students tend to be narcissistic. The researchers find plenty of ironies here, as student-to-student communication and access to one another has never been better. Nonetheless, many admit that “other people’s misfortunes” usually don’t disturb them. In other words, they might be constantly aware of their friends’ whereabouts, but all that connectedness doesn’t seem to be translating to genuine concern for the world and one another.

Think about the role empathy plays in our lives... and the quality that it brings to all of our social/emotional interactions. Now think of a world where fewer and fewer people understand social norms, etiquette, and downright human decency because empathy was somehow not properly instilled. Is this recent spate of bullying to tragic consequences- where victims are dehumanized- part of the larger trend of lack of empathy?

Like most problems in the world, you probably cannot blame only one factor for this apparent problem. As O'Brien writes in the article:

These students...would have been born in the 1980s, raised in the ’90s on video games, 24-hour cable television, and widespread divorce, and sent off to college with laptops and cellphones — the young pioneers of the digital age. Perhaps, some suggest, technology has connected them in one sense, but pushed them away from each other in another. “It’s very shallow, a lot of these connections,” said Jean Twenge, coauthor of “The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement.” “You don’t really have an emotional connection with someone on Facebook.”

Perhaps, others argue, the problem is the advent of 24-hour cable and Internet news; young people today have been inundated with news to the point that they cannot care anymore. The oil spill in Louisiana this week, the flood in Pakistan next week — the tragedies all run together, making it harder to care in any sort of sustained way. Parenting could also be at fault, Konrath speculated. Perhaps today’s less empathetic children were raised by more narcissistic parents. Or the problem could be a hypercompetitive world in which everyone is trying to get into the best schools, get ahead, get more.

The ideas in the above quote very much resonate with me, as I see it everyday. It didn't surprise to read a recent study by the Pew Research Center that found that today's teens text more than they talk. I can think of many times I have picked up my teenage daughter from a social gathering, and as I see her sitting with her friends, they are all feverishly texting (each other??), often having multiple text conversations simultaneously. Seeing this depresses me.... what ever happened to good ol' conversation??

No one believes in the limitless possibilities of technology to improve teaching and learning more than me. However, I see the dark side of technology as well, as I fear that for some, it has replaced the foundation of what makes us human. Nothing is more important than the ability to engage, to communicate, to relate.... face to face. Without that ability, there can be no empathy.

Today's youth need a world not only with empathy- but one with compassion, wisdom, and patience as well. This comes only from quality relationships with adults who have invested in their lives, not from a "friend" on a social networking site.