Dear President Obama

Mr. President,

I was truly inspired by your education speech the other day. I have been thinking about it since I read it. What I liked most was your awareness that schools should not be the only ones accountable, parents should be held accountable as well. I liked how you mentioned that children should not go home to war zones and that parents should be a child's first and most important teacher. I liked how you promised that you would be talking to educators about how to fix this problem.

The reality is this: we have some really good schools in this country. I work with staff members that spend countless hours planning great lessons for their students. I talk with parents who worry about their children's success. I see excited and motivated children in the classrooms.

On the flip side, I see a huge societal issue. Our society does not value hard work anymore. It is now the American way to take the easy way out. The truth is this: for a child to compete in this global world, it takes hard work. Parents must prioritize school over baseball. Parents must prioritize homework and make children take responsibility instead of arguing over discipline and/or making excuses for their children. Principals must be willing to and allowed to remove an ineffective teacher. It should not take thousands of dollars in legal fees and countless hours to remove an ineffective tenured teacher. When school officials call Children's Division because children are being abused and/or neglected, our society must do something about it!

We have a lot to fix, but many people are willing to help. It is time to make some hard decisions, but you have people willing to make those decisions. We need back up and support. It is time to do what is right for the children in our country.

Thinking About Assessment

Lately I have been thinking about assessment. Traditionally, teachers have given tests because they need grades to put in their grade book. Nowadays, we are much smarter. We know that the true purpose of assessment is to see which student has learned a specific objective, to see their level of performance. When I ask my teachers what the purpose of assessment is, they can give me some great answers, ones that make sense. But, as I look around my school, I see some problems. We can tell you what the purpose of assessment is, but do we practice what we preach?

I have been talking to my teachers about this subject. Some teachers say that they help students with their assessments if the child is struggling. Some say that they do not help because if they do, it will not be a true indication of what the child knows. Some teachers make assessments that do not assess with the rigor of state tests. Authentic assessment, portfolios - What it comes down to is this: all of my teachers have a different viewpoint and they all think they are right. They all think that they know what is best for children. No wonder I am crazy!

As a 3 year principal I have been working on creating a collaborative learning environment for students and staff. Many are on board, some are not. To create this learning environment, some changes have had to be made. I have enlisted the help of some great people and created a leadership team. All staff are welcome to join and voice their opinion. This month's topic is assessment. How can we come up with some guidelines that will ensure high rigor, assessments given with fidelity, but will not stifle creativity and freedom for the teachers? And, how can I get that buy in from those nay-sayers that are resisting the change, those that want to close their door and not let anyone in?

These are the struggles that are ahead..........wish me luck. I'll get by with a little help from my friends (haven't I heard that somewhere before?).