The Horace Mann League
Member Information about the League's Projects, Services, and Accomplishments
___________________
President's Column
Gary Marx, President of the Horace Mann League
February 2015
A Year of Achievement, Progress, and Pursuing the Future
 The Horace Mann League (HML) is an honorary organization of educators and thought-leaders who are committed to the improvement and continued existence of a high quality public education system to serve all students. Our members are dedicated to making sure students are prepared for life in a fast-changing world. All know that the future is in school today. I'm pleased to let you know that, while HML may have a way to go, 2014 was a year of achievement, progress, and pursuit of a promising future. As president this past year, I'd like to share a few highlights of the organization's accomplishments. Through your HML membership and your dedication to public education, you make it all possible. Horace Mann League Planning for the Future During June, the Horace Mann League Board got together for HML Stanford 2014, our annual planning meeting. We were hosted by HML board member Linda Darling Hammond. Past-President Ken Bird facilitated intense, spirited activities that led to on-the-spot sharing of a wealth of possibilities focused on communication, marketing, and identity; membership; and funding. Those down-to-earth, far-reaching, but doable ideas were merged into a roadmap to guide the League moving forward. Many of those ideas have already become or are on their way to becoming reality. Determined to make a fresh start, an Operations Task Force, made up of officers, guided us in meeting a number of both urgent and longstanding needs. Those needs ranged from securing tax-exempt status to shaping League Bylaws and Policies for the 21st century.
2015 Annual Meeting and Awards. If you haven't already registered for the HML Annual Meeting and Luncheon, 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Friday, February 27, at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego, I urge you do it now. Our 2015 award recipients, Gene Carter, Pedro Noguera, and Mark Edwards will be with us. Register at http://www.hmleague.org/2015mtgreg-2/
International Indicators for Education Project. Study Released at National Press Club News Conference With flying colors, HML has accomplished an ambitious long-term goal set during its 2010 summer planning meeting. That goal focused on identifying forces in society that have a profound impact on student and school performance, providing a broader scope than simply a barrage of test scores, ratings, and rankings. Those indicators were released during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2015. The following day, members of our Indicators Task Force met with the Learning First Alliance (LFA) to present and discuss results of the study. LFA includes top officials from 14 national education leadership organizations, such as: AACTE, AASA, AFT, ASCA, ASCD, ISTE, Learning Forward, NAESP, NASSP, NEA, National PTA, NSBA, NSPRA, and PDK. The study, School Performance in Context: The Iceberg Effect, was a collaborative project of the Horace Mann League (HML) and the National Superintendents Roundtable (NSR), with counsel and assistance from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). Media coverage of the study has been extensive and findings are already being used in policy circles. Here are a few observations from the indicators study: - We have developed a scoreboard mentality. Many people think they can get education scores the same way they get box scores for a baseball, basketball, football, or hockey game. It isn't that easy.
- International assessments often rank nations as if they were in a horserace, leaving the impression that education in various countries can be easily compared, when, in reality, students, schools, and education systems are strongly influenced by an array of social, economic, and cultural factors. The U.S., for example, has the greatest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world and the highest GDP per capita of the nine nations included in the Iceberg study. However, the country also has the dubious honor of being among leaders in economic inequity, social stress, and lack of support for families with young children.
- Sound education policy is important, but it must be reinforced by appropriate social and economic policy.
An Indicators Task Force involved HML President-Elect Chuck Fowler, Immediate Past President Joe Hairston, HML board member and National Superintendents Roundtable (NSR) Executive Director and member of the HML board, Jim Harvey, HML President Gary Marx, HML Executive Director Jack McKay, and National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Executive Director Rich Bagin. Harvey served as principal researcher and writer with counsel and editing support from task force members. The group developed strategy, shared research, did presentations and listened for feedback, developed both full and a summary reports, and released them nationwide and worldwide.
Copies of the full and summary reports are available online at the HML, NSR, and at NSPRA websites, as well as at numerous others. Each HML member was scheduled to receive a hard copy of the summary report as a service. Additional copies of the 20-page summary report,The Iceberg Effect, are available at 25 copies for $100 plus postage and handling. To order, contact Jack McKay at jmckay@hmleague.org. This project is a massive accomplishment and the information should help education and other leaders build better public understanding of the need to encourage and support the best possible education for our future generations. Membership During 2014, HML welcomed 86 new members, approximately a 20 percent increase over the number who joined us during each of the previous two years. Our HML board was generous in making nominations, as were those who responded to our Every-Member-Get-A-Member Campaign. Retaining our members is also important, so we've sent personal letters to those who may not have renewed lately and have significantly increased our member communication. Expect increased member engagement through periodic surveys, projects, opportunities for writing, and other possibilities. We urge you to not only maintain your membership but also to recommend others whose work and lives reflect support for the best in public education. Vice President Christine Johns-Haines, is developing a membership strategy for our consideration moving forward.
Communication Communication is the weave in the very fabric of any organization. The League has made significant progress in improving internal communication with members and external communication with other publics. However, communication will always need to improve. Here are highlights. HML Post and HML Blog. Each week, Executive Director Jack McKay produces and distributes the online HML Post, a collection of fully attributed articles important to public education. He also maintains an HML Blog,which is a work in progress. An aim is to open the blog for members and perhaps others to submit 400-to-600-word posts on key issues or experiences in education. HML Update. During 2014, we've added another format, an HML Update, that we hope will encourage the sharing of information about what the League is doing on behalf of members and public education. Expect occasional announcements, notices, newsletters, and reports, as they are available, that will help us build our sense of community among members. We also hope it will contribute to membership recruitment and retention. HML Board Update. This informal and occasional email update on current activities is emailed to HML board members and recent past presidents. This briefing is prepared and distributed by the League president. Information of this type is particularly important, since the organization holds only two board meetings a year. The HML Web Site. Jack McKay has improved the general format and interactivity of the HML web site, also a work in progress: www.hmleague.org. We have taken significant strides. The executive director also offers an online Cornerstone Flipboard and entries on HML Pinterest. Member Engagement (Listening). We know that member engagement is highly important. The frequency of substantive surveys should be somewhat increased to not only engage but also to glean, make use of, and be guided by the knowledge and opinions that are shared with us. Following the 2014 HML Annual Meeting, participants were asked to share their insights on questions members of the Indicators Task Force might encounter and on how the information could be helpful to them locally and regionally. Media. One of HML's first news releases was distributed just prior to the 2014 Annual Meeting announcing award recipients and officer and board changes. The president hopes to develop a basic, proprietary, viable  press list that HML can use to share occasional information about the League. As we've mentioned, we held a news conference at the National Press Club (NPC) on January 20. Since funding was limited, highly-professional volunteers stepped up to make media contacts. News conference announcements (approximately 500) and news releases (approximately 1,400) were prepared and distributed as a service by the Learning First Alliance (LFA) public relations firm. NSPRA's Rich Bagin was joined by key communication executives from other major national associations and an advocacy organization in making media and organizational contacts. HML's president contacted several dozen major general and education media outlets.
The National Press Club carried an abbreviated release on its web site for five days and distributed hard copies of the final news release to all organizations with offices in the National Press Building. HML and NSR collaborated on a final release that was broadly distributed to the media, included in press packets, and carried on Public Relations Wire.
Contacts with media resulted in substantial primary and secondary news coverage, commentary, and use of the information in a variety of policy-related documents and publications. Among major media that carried stories were Education Week, the Washington Post, Huffington Post, and Politico.
Since the release, the League has invited some members to prepare and submit Op Ed commentaries to certain influential media. Consideration for follow-up includes pursuing "Scoreboards to Dashboards" projects to make sure that accountability extends to those who make social and economic policy and can't be simply summed up in a single set of test scores.
A firm employed by NSR, Rhenda Meiser Communications, was involved in some media efforts and in staging a collaborative HML-NSR webinar on January 16 to prepare local school leaders to make the most of the information.
Our indicators project has given us an opportunity to communicate on behalf of the League with major media, build our identity, share valuable information and ideas, and become a serious player in conversations about education issues. This project and others, such as our awards program, help address aims that emerged from the HML Stanford planning meeting related to taking on at least one far-reaching and visible project each year and to "holding critical conversations with educational influencers."
Viral Communication In releasing the indicators report, HML members, media, education organizations, and others were encouraged to consider doing stories and sharing links with an array or individuals and organizations, asking them to do the same. This approach can lead to a report or certain information becoming viral.
Identity A draft identity statement was developed by the Stanford on-site committee devoted to communication, identity, and branding. You'll find it reflected in the opening line of this President's Column.
Advisory Council Our newly adopted Bylaws permit establishment of an HML Advisory Council. We hope to bring this possibility to life as we move into the future.
Funding As a dues-based organization, while reasonably stable financially, HML has generally faced funding challenges. Generally we have more to accomplish than always valuable voluntary efforts can adequately cover. We know that the League needs to develop additional non-dues sources of revenue, from additional products and services to a more strategic approach to attracting funding from individuals and organizations that want to support HML and its public education mission. We are grateful to dedicated members who help with funding and hope to develop funding clusters of specific areas where support is needed. We also hope to identify members of a Funding Task Force, made up of members and others who have historically been successful in these types of efforts. HML's new Bylaws more clearly define funding possibilities and relationships, such as sponsorships, partnerships, collaborations, and contributions, to name a few. HML is an IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization which means appropriate deductibility is possible with dues and contributions. It is also a not-for-profit corporation. A limited amount of advertising, the type we see from other education organizations, may also be a possibility and a necessity. Tax-Exempt Status The good news is that HML received a fresh Letter of Determination from the IRS on November 20, 2014, declaring our 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit status. After getting past efforts to reinstate, since needed documents were not available, Past President Ken Bird and the law firm, Fraser-Stryker, assured completion of the application for a fresh start. The Letter of Determination was then issued fairly quickly and is now included among About Us items on the HML web page. Incorporation was renewed in July. Both of these entity markers had lapsed. Bylaws and Policies HML Vice President Chuck Fowler, working with the Operations Task Force (officers), led a process to renew the League's Bylaws and Policies to guide the organization toward an even more sustainable future. Included, among other things, are a job description and evaluation process as well as a more in-depth annual financial review, longtime needs that are now being addressed. The Policies were adopted electronically by the HML Board and the Bylaws approved for presentation and a further vote at the February 27, 2015, Annual Meeting in San Diego. These projects are among major League accomplishments. HML 2015 Award Recipients We are pleased that Gene Carter, a seasoned superintendent and longtime (recently retired) executive director of ASCD, accepted our invitation to receive the HML Outstanding Public Educator Award. Gene was the first National Superintendent of the Year. Pedro Noguera, a professor at New York University, an experienced public educator and internationally recognized scholar and eloquent spokesperson for the cause, will receive the HML Outstanding Friend of Public Education Award. Both are planning to be at the HML Annual Meeting on Friday, February 27, 2015, and to make brief remarks. Past president Mark Edwards will be recognized as an Outstanding Friend of the Horace Mann League. HML Annual Meeting Promotion The HML Annual Meeting has faced an attendance challenge, especially in light of lower overall conference attendance. That situation must be a consideration as we promote the meeting. A more strategic approach to promotion has been suggested that highlights the reasons people should attend but should not even consider missing the event. Our hope is that highlighting the meeting's strengths can help us fortify attendance. Conventional paper as well as current online registration opportunities might be needed. (Timing and changes in venue have also been considered.) HML Programs at National Conferences
The Horace Mann League has arranged and will be presenting programs at upcoming 2015 annual conferences of AASA, ASCD, and NSBA. The February AASA program in San Diego, devoted to international indicators, will feature board members Christine Johns-Haines, Charles Fowler, James Harvey, and Robert Martin, also of the Utica Community Schools in Michigan. During March, at the ASCD Annual Conference in Houston, board members Christine Johns-Haines and Laurie Barron will present, "Personalizing in a High Stakes World." At NSBA in Nashville, also during March, board members James Harvey and Steven Webb will be joined by HML past president Mark Edwards and Vancouver, Washington, Public Schools board member Edri Geiger for a program focused on "Understanding International Indicators."
A 2014 HML program during March at ASCD in Los Angeles featured board members James Harvey, Martha Bruckner, and Gary Marx addressing "An Indicator System for American Education." During 2011, 2012, and 2014, HML also presented programs at the ASCD Annual Conference.
Onward to the Future We can take great pride in the mission and accomplishments of the Horace Mann League. This venerable organization, now off to a fresh start, is constantly challenged to make the most of its historic dedication to supporting the best possible public education. HML is noted for honoring those who have made and continue to make supreme contributions to our future. Since we are an honorary organization, that includes every member. I appreciate the opportunity to serve as HML president this past year. I am grateful to the outstanding officers and members of the Board who provide inspiration and support for the organization and do it, for the most part, at their own expense, because they believe so deeply in HML's mission. We also appreciate the many contributions of Executive Director Jack McKay. I know that you join me in welcoming Chuck Fowler to the presidency of the Horace Mann League during our 2015 Annual Meeting on February 27. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to the Horace Mann League and public education. Gary Marx, 2014 President, Horace Mann League, gmarxcpo@aol.com All of us continue to be inspired by our namesake, the reputed father of public education, Horace Mann, who declared, "Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen."
HML Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Make Reservations Now
The Horace Mann League invites you to join colleagues for the 95th annual League meeting and luncheon, set for 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Friday, February 27, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in San Diego, site of the 2015 AASA National Conference. Join us in honoring, meeting, greeting, and learning from HML award recipients Pedro Noguera and Gene Carter. During the meeting, members of will be asked to approve updated organization Bylaws and will learn more about HML activities, recognize members who have contributed to the League, and thank sponsors. (Click here. Make your reservations now.)
The League's Outstanding Friend of Public Education Award
 Pedro Noguera will be recipient of the League's 2015 Outstanding Friend of Public Education Award. A professor of education at New York University, Noguera is a noted sociologist, researcher, and author. His scholarship focuses on ways schools can deal with social and economic conditions and demographic trends in a global context. He is a regular commentator on education issues for CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and other media.
The League's Outstanding Public Educator Award
 Gene Carter will receive the League's Outstanding Public Educator Award. Recently retired as executive director and CEO of ASCD, Carter was the very first National Superintendent of the Year. Carter, who served as superintendent of the Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia for nine years, led ASCD's international expansion, advocating for the whole child and healthy school communities worldwide. Both Carter and Noguera started their education careers as teachers.
This event is more than a meeting. It is an opportunity to network with some of the most dedicated education leaders anywhere. Plan to come a little early. It's a moment you won't want to miss. Feel free to make reservations for friends and members of your family or education team.
The Horace Mann League Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Marriott Marquis Hotel, San Diego, Friday, February 27, 2015, 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Click here. Make your reservations now.)
|
The HML Officers and Directors
|
President: Gary Marx, President, Center for Public Outreach, Vienna, VA
|
|
President-elect: Charles Fowler, Exec. Dir., Suburban School Admin. Exeter, HN
Vice President: Christine Johns-Haines, Supt., Utica Community Schools, MI
1st Past President: Joe Hairston, President, Vision Unlimited, Reisterstown, MD
|
| 2nd Past President: Mark Edwards, Supt., Mooresville Graded Schools, NC |
|
Laurie Barron, Supt. of Schools, Evergreen School District, Kalispell , MT
|
|
Martha Bruckner, Supt., Council Bluffs Community Schools, IA
Evelyn Blose-Holman, (ret.) Superintendent, Bay Shore Schools, NY
Carol Choye, Instructor, Bank Street College, NY
Brent Clark, Exec. Dir., Illinois Assoc. of School Admin. IL
Linda Darling Hammond, Professor of Education, Stanford U. CA
James Harvey, Exec. Dir., Superintendents Roundtable, WA
Eric King, Superintendent, (Ret.) Muncie Public Schools, IN
Steven Ladd, Superintendent, Elk Grove Unified School District, Elk Grove, CA
Barry Lynn, Exec. Dir., Americans United, Washington, DC
Kevin Maxwell, CEO, Prince George's County Schools, Upper Marlboro, MD
Stan Olson, Director, Silverback Learning, Boise, ID
|
|
Steven Webb, Supt. of Schools, Vancouver School District, WA
|
|
560 Rainier Lane, Port Ludlow, WA 98365 (360) 821 9877
|
|
To become a member of the HML, click here to download an application.
|
|
|
|
|
|
