From Margaret Spelling, Secretary of Education leading NCLB at a 2007 visit to Chicago Schools. I thought this fit in well with most of our mission statements:

"Community and business leaders must engage in the future of our nation's children and our education system to help ensure that students are graduating with strong reading and math skills and ready to enter college and the workforce. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, and the quality of education our children receive directly impacts the success of businesses in America and the contributions they will make to society."

I feel that most schools would benefit from the horizontal decentralization allowing central office to maintain control and delegate responsibilities. We have all heard of a Super that doesn't have what it takes (and of course, we all know that Dr. Closen has probably cleaned those up already :o) But I still think central office is a good idea.

I think the nature of NCLB is a good one- to hold us accountable. However, I think NCLB needed some major tuning before it was implemented- 100% AYP in 7 years is unrealistic- even I know that. And what was that about setting only a few goals at a time: SMART goals = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, Time-Oriented. And NCLB is............? For those of you that have read Senge and Fullan- they believe that more than 2 goals is a mistake. I think we're onto something :o)

Has anyone read the Macomb paper this week? I'm guessing it was Fri/Sat FRONT page where they talk about how IL teachers are able to keep their certifications and to be re-employed even with past criminal history like sexual misconduct, etc. VERY GOOD ARTICLE- two articles side-by-side. Dr. Closen: will bring to class next time.

Bridget and I will be comparing promotion/retention/tenure responsibilities of teachers vs. university faculty. BIG difference, right Dr. Closen? Any feedback on what your school's expectations are as teachers? Faculty have to report substantial progress in their teaching/primary duties, scholarly/research activities, and any service activities EACH year. They have to belong to so many committees and pass stringent examinations by the Department's Personnel Committee, Chair and Dean of the College. And from what I hear, most teachers need 4 years of "good" evals and that's it? No end of year report of what you have accomplished? This could be interesting.