Alfie Kohn

The Wilmington School District, Morris Community High School, Coal City Unit District, and possibly others are looking to provide a joint staff development opportunity in January at MCHS. Nationally renowned speaker Alfie Kohn may be coming to Morris on January 4th. His website can be found at http://www.alfiekohn.org/index.html

It is exciting to work together in an attempt to provide quality in-service opportunities for our staff.

More to come as this potential opportunity materializes!!!

"Hello, Goodbye"

I consider myself an "on again off again" Beatles fan, but I found myself singing "Hello, Goodbye" the other day to myself and thought- wait- that fits this new school year perfectly!! "Hello" to our new staff members (and one returnee=)) and "Goodbye" to our retirees! We will lose over 146 years of combined experience! What a huge void to try and fill next year. Jane and Larry Vahle are pictured on top while Kristin Ehteshami and Joe Thomas are below.

Our new staff pictured at the top of the page consists of in front left to right; Jennifer Bamonte, Mary Rooks, Robert Johnson, Rob Wallon, and Don Stinson. Welcome aboard!

Our new staff went through a couple of days of in-service this summer and will benefit from our new teacher mentoring program that is now in place. Thanks to Cindy Shannon and Kathleen Wilkey for making this a reality and to our participating Mentors- you have an important job to do!

I talk often about leaving your legacy- making your mark on an organization- and our retirees have certainly done that. I wish them all a great year- a year full of "lasts"- but a year in which I hope they are able to identify and reflect on their many contributions to the lives of our students and staff- past and present!!

Congresswoman Halvorson

I was invited to an informal meeting today at the Grundy County administration building with U.S. Congresswoman Halvorson. The Mayors of Grundy County were concluding their meeting with her as I arrived and I was the only Superintendent there (two more came as I was leaving) and it gave me a chance to have a great discussion about the Federal Government and education- particularly the use of Stimulus funds and the new push called Race to the Top.

Halvorson made it clear right away that when the House authorized stimulus money be earmarked for education- it needed to go directly to the schools- instead- it goes to each State. Of course- Illinois uses stimulus money to plug the huge hole in the state budget- they use it to send schools like MCHS General State Aid- which we rely on heavily.

I was struck by how little influence the House had over the Senate's push to send this money to State's- we need this money to help cover the costs of numerous unfunded mandates- in particular- the cost of special education. 15% of our education fund costs are used for special education and these costs continue to increase- particularly for students placed in residential care facilities.

I am hopeful that the Federal government can regain a balance between the test driven requirements of NCLB and increase their support for vocational education- and help all schools meet the needs of students.

It is obvious that our lawmakers don't trust many local educational institutions- that was why it was easier to give the stimulus funds to each Governor (and they trust them more why?) instead of local schools- we need to turn this around!!

I enjoy the Congresswoman's energy and passion for what she does- I hope she can make a difference and represent the needs of this area- this meeting was a step in the right direction.

PSAE Mania!

I just finished an interview with the local newspaper about the improved scores at CCHS and thoughts about the benefits of a Unit district vs. a High School district.The reporter asked excellent follow-up questions and was looking for my sense as to why this neighboring high school was showing steady improvement on the annual PSAE exam. I shared that in my opinion, they are starting to reap the benefits of their leaders vision and they are slowly gaining teacher buy-in!! Improved teaching and learning and student achievement are the focus.

Elementary and Special Education teachers have it figured out- they know how to use student achievement data to figure out what kids need and how to give it to them. Too often we at the H.S. level throw the information out there and expect kids to "get it".

That being said- I am excited about the direction MCHS is headed- we have laid the foundation for success through a more formal K-12 articulation process, the hiring of a shared director of curriculum, a commitment to technology in the classroom, and an organized and focused staff development plan. We need continued staff buy-in as we move this "big bus" forward.

I am happy with the communication and improvement processes we have put in place over the last 6 years- but I know we need to continue to get better.

You know- not all newspaper interviews are fun- but that one was. Fun to reflect and fun to validate that the course we are on is a good one!!

Check out our website soon for updated PSAE scores and school improvement plans

Race to the Top

Today I participated in a webinar that highlighted the federal Race to the Top project- more stimulus dollars that will be granted to the most innovative and accountable States in the country. I am anxious to see how Illinois measures up in this first round of applications. Making data driven decisions is a key component- as is a State's ability to encourage charter schools and innovative programming.

Some of the components outlined involved using a growth model to measure progress- maybe the escalating AYP numbers- 77% this year- will give way to more realistic expectations?? Time will tell.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html has updated information and will post the slides from today's webinar.

Board Goal Setting Session

Members of the Board of Education and administrative team met Monday evening in a work study session to develop goals for the upcoming year and beyond. Dr. Don Kachur, a retired professor from Illinois State University and current leader of ASCD in Illinois, was our facilitator. The process went well and it was exciting to engage board members in conversations about continuous improvement.

I will provide details of our strategic plan as they become finalized.

It provided a great opportunity for me personally to review where we have been as a District and where we are headed. Principal Hussey has outlined a challenge for all of us to continue to get better and help all students achieve. Our goals are beginning to align- pointing in the same direction for the first time- and it is exciting!!

Welcome to my blog spot!!

After reading numerous articles on the value of a "Superintendent Blog" and several discussions with colleagues, I have decided to utilize this communication tool- so thanks for reading! My purpose will be to provide information, insight, and a forum in order to gain feedback and ideas about Morris Community High School, leadership successes and challenges, organizational improvement ideas, and general discussion.

Check back soon for more information