leadership in high schools

Formal training of teachers is I believe, sorely lacking.  Universities that produce teachers for schools in Western New York - the catchment area being Western New York and Eastern Pennsylvania,  need to focus on the understanding and development of every aspect within the Individual Educational Plan (IEP).  This emphasis should include as examples, the difference between modifications and accommodations.  the difference between programs like 1:12:1 which is and educational service and a Need which would be a   a 1:1 aide, a braille machine, a lap top computer for word processing etc. 

 Good PLEP statements -Present Levels of Educational Performance, require refined thinking and written expression.  Practice does help but more importantly student teachers and teachers in the field need to understand that the student needs to be described in his or her own entirety in relationship to his/her peers and the general education curriculum.

Special Education teachers are managers of staff within their classroom.  In 1:8:1/1:12:1  classrooms, teachers are sometimes presented with 8 students and 8 individual aides not including the teacher and classroom aide.  How does the teacher manage all the adults in the room who have ideas and in-put that are valuable but not always cohesive?  Sometimes the lesson plan for the students may take second fiddle to the personal needs of aides.  How will the special education teacher manage complex human resource issues without being a supervisor?  This training piece should be tied to lesson planning and methodology, use of technology and IEP development. 

Another area of concern is Educational Technology.  Departments of Educational Technology and Communications within Schools of Education 20 or more years ago would focus on Student Teaching, Lesson Planning, Methodology, the use of and the development of instructional media.  Why are Universities not training teachers to embrace Web 2.0 technology?  Why are teachers not being trained to not invent the wheel but collaborate with others and use lesson plans that are freely published;  modify these plans to meet the needs of their current students?  See the post on the Lunch Box Project.  

Just like employers in the world of Business that we read about who have to train new employees to focus on different skill developments, schools have to work harder to train new teachers who are graduating from college still unprepared for the huge learning curves and divides that exist between theoretical knowledge taught and practical applications in schools.  Teachers whatever their background - general or special education must understand to varying degrees the impact of the cross over of knowledge required by the new demands of the digital learner. 

The focus of teacher interview panels is changing and Universties and Colleges preparing student teachers should pay attention! Prepare yout student teachers for a global, competitive school environment that has no borders. 

This past school year I worked alongside Linda Finn an educational administrative intern through SUNY Fredonia.  This summer Sandy Olson will be attached to the Hewes Center Summer School Program as she works on completing her administrative internship through SUNY Fredonia as well. 

Administrative Interns give Principals and Supervisors working in schools a unique opportunity to stop and take stock of process and procedures in the day to day running of an educational venture.  Most of the time veteran school administrators work on automatic pilot knowing or seeming to do exactly what needs to be done at the given moment.  Time to process information and challenge decisions does not come until the end of the day when school is over, by this time, students may have left school with hurt feelings, teachers may have left feeling ignored or paraprofessionals have left for the day without informing the office of some nagging problem.  In my mind even when the school is quiet, the principal may not devote time to valuable reassessment of the day because calls have to made to parents regarding disciplinary actions, email has to be answered, paperwork has to be completed and turned around so as to reach higher office and the demands continue into the night. 

Having an administrative intern for me is the greatest joy because I get to explain what is happening in real time, share my thoughts in real time, ask for in-put from another adult in real time, check for understanding of the issues with another school official and get another perspective from people who ordinarily work in school settings in other capacities - Linda Finn is comprehensive health educator throughout Erie 2 CC BOCES, while Sandy is a school psychologist at Panama Central School in Western New York. 

It is a privilege to be associated with an administrative intern program.  The goals of this program are to give an individual interested in pursuing educational administration the most succinct immersion in the working life of a principal/supervisor.  Examples of internship duties and exposure are as follows - hiring, staffing, participating in CSE meetings, writing memos, planning faculty and staff meetings, developing short school based programs, contact with parents, discipline of students, working with outside agencies, developing a administrative portfolio, interacting with teachers and staff, problem solving, assisting in writing grants, researching school based programs and assisting in the evaluation of teachers among other worthwhile opportunities that can be provided by the internship experience.   

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the interns that have been assigned to my office in the past, now and in the future.  You challenge my thinking and my practise and for this I am grateful because together we both learn.  To the teachers and staff of the Hewes Center thank you for your patience and understanding as you partake in the development of school leaders. 

Through a grant administered via Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua County, the High School English and Social Studies department at the Hewes Center will be receiving 20 novels titled Lincoln at Gettysburg.  This is in celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday and will include his famous address at Gettysburg.  Our High School students will be able to study the writing of Lincoln in the Fall of 2008.  This will be a joint venture that will be exploited instruction-ally to expose students to the wealth and foundations of this Nation, its democracy, sacrifices of her people and sheer brilliance of our founding fathers. 

I remember reading the Gettysburg address when I was in High School and have always marvelled that so many folks take so easily this nation and its democracy for granted.   Having lived under the specter of a fledgling democracy still very much in its infancy, I for one have always marvelled at the richness of this country’s government and political foundations.  The opportunity to expose our students to further teaching and study of this subject, is so personally enriching for me.  None of this would be possible without the enthusiam and support of our English and Social Studies teachers - Jim, Cindy, Phyllis and Greg. 

Thanks to the Model Transition Program in place for High School students at the Hewes Center, 4 students will be visiting Jamestown Community College all day tomorrow 4/9/08 with their consultant teacher Rose Dorey and the Coordinator of the MTP grant, Jennifer Clark. The Model Transition Program is a state department of education funded intiative which has granted the Erie 2 CC Boces together with Lake Shore and Silver Creek Central School Districts over $700,000 for the next 3.5 years.  The grant is administered  in conjuction with VESID with program advisement, support and training from  Cornell University and State University College of New York at Buffalo. 

 The students are one 9th grader, Ben R., two 11th graders Julio Z and Cody A, and one 12th grader Danielle J.  The two 11th graders are both students of Career and Technical Educaton so will graduate with extra college credit in math, science and english as a result of the accreditation agreement between the CTE division of Erie 2 Chautuaqua Cattaraugus BOCES and Jamestown Community College.  As a result these two CTE students will have a leg up on their college counterparts in terms of college credits and will be accruing savings because of this in terms of college tuition and time spent on an Associates Degree which JCC awards.  Of note is the fact that the CTE department of this BOCES has various other articulation agreements with colleges and universities. 

The purpose of this visit to to expose our students to the college entry process and get them to consider college as an educational extension to their high school years.  It is our goal within the Alternative and Special Education High School program to expand the opportunities for skills development and job readiness of our students.  All students who are eligible for help and support through this state wide grant, are classified special needs students who have a 504 Plan or an IEP.