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Volume 15, Number 11 The Source
| June 5, 2015
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Three Iowans Selected as Emerging Leaders by ASCD
ASCD identified this week the Emerging Leaders for 2015-2017 who exemplify the ASCD definition of leadership, which has eight components:
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Creating value is why we exist. Leaders who create value constantly examine the needs of our organization and the people we serve. They are enterprising, persistent, and willing to be bold. They know that risk is often more important than routine. In all undertakings, they insist on relevance.
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Applying learning is how we get better. Leaders who apply learning are attentive and curious. They learn from experience, share that learning, and bring others with diverse experience on board. They read the terrain, see the oncoming challenge, and remove obstacles. They seek learning from many sources in service of a quicker, better decision.
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Executing accountably is how we see things through. Leaders who execute accountably build from idea to concrete action to desired outcome. They equip others with clear expectations and specific accountability. They see obstacles as a challenge, rather than a roadblock. They set goals, commit, follow through, and persevere.
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Making meaning is how we connect to what matters. Leaders who make meaning understand that "why" is important. They engage in the vision, share the big picture, and find ways to make the vision meaningful for others. They are committed and inspiring. They connect everyday actions to broader ideals.
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Continuously reinventing is how we lead a revolution. Leaders who continuously reinvent are actively looking for a better way. They are not content with "good enough." They do not resist change. They engage in renewal, creativity, and innovation, supporting that work within the program and throughout the organization.
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Cultivating talent is how we succeed. Leaders who cultivate talent are passionately focused on the growth of others. They support, develop, and expect each person's best. They place the right people in the right roles and address that which is not working. They recruit for the future, for the emerging needs of their program, and for the organization.
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Acting together is how we meet challenges. Leaders who act together suspend self-interest, invite others' ideas, and balance process with the need to move forward. They cultivate relationships and build trust. They recognize the inventiveness in collaboration and choose optimum results over self-protection and isolation.
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Leading myself is where I begin. Leaders who do this take responsibility for how they show up as leaders. They are open to feedback, mindful of personal strength and weakness, and willing to change. They are seekers who choose to build self-awareness, shrink blind spots, and strive for authenticity.
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Congratulations to the following Iowa educators who were selected as Emerging Leaders by ASCD. They join four from the class of 2014 - 2016: Matt Townsley, Eric Townsley, Andrea Stewart, and Stacy Amling as well as Jason Ellingson (2013-2015) and Stefanie Wager (2012-2014).
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Dr. Robert Marzano Headlines the Iowa ASCD Summer Institute on June 22-23 - Ensuring Learning for Each and All: Building Our Expertise
Make plans now for you and your team to attend the Iowa ASCD Summer Institute on June 22-23 at the Iowa Events Center. Dr. Bob Marzano is the headline speaker and will also provide several breakout sessions. 
In addition to Marzano, other national speakers include Jim Rickabaugh, Rose Colby, Tim Westerberg, Ron Mirr, Sandra Alberti, Bobb Darnall, Consuelo Castillo Kickbush, and Grace Dearborn as well as state-wide presenters.
Presenters will be addressing ways that you and your team can ensure learning for each and all by:
- Creating conditions for learning - a culture for achievement
- Implementing the Iowa Core - optimizing learning for all students
- Assuring effective teaching - recognizing instructional knowledge and skill as the most powerful instruments to enhance student learning
- Grading for learning - reporting students' progress on learning goals
- Empowering students to develop mastery of academic content - implementing competency-based education
The early-bird fee until June 1 will be $250 for Iowa ASCD members and $295 for non-members, who will receive a complimentary membership for one year. The regular fee in June will be $295 for members and $340 for non-members. Purchase orders with a list of the names and email addresses may be sent to Bridget Arrasmith, Iowa ASCD, Drake University, Room 123, School of Education, Drake University, 3206 University, Des Moines, IA 50311 or FAXED to Attention of Bridget Arrasmith at 515.271.2233.
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Eric Townsley: "Fixing the Daily Drip"
Iowa ASCD member Eric Townsley is middle school principal in South Tama and is also an ASCD Emerging Leader. He recently had published in the ASCD Express an article, "Fixing the Daily Drip."
Townsley shares in the article that much of what a new principal inherits is time - and how it is organized in a school. He recognizes  that "it's a day-to-day struggle to soak up every spare minute in a schedule for student learning." A question he and his staff sought to answer about a mandatory study hall at the end of the day was, "Can we use this time to provide instruction on prerequisite skills that some students are missing?" The answer was that the study hall was transformed into a time for interventions. The leadership team and the entire staff "plugged the gaps" with specific interventions for those struggling (e.g., Corrective Reading, Comprehension Strategies Instruction, vocabulary) and provided learning extensions that sparked student interest - nutrition, financial literacy, conservation. Collaboration was key in making it happen in South Tama and "everyone stepped up" for the students' success. By "staying thirsty for ways to support students," South Tama Middle School went "off the list" of persistently lowest-achieving schools. Kudos to the staff as they recognized "every minute counts" and were willing to "wring out whatever nonessential time" they had and "re-purpose it to help students." Read the entire article here. |
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Iowa ASCD Summer Institute: A Few More Highlights
Iowa ASCD is hosting the Summer Institute on June 22-23 - "Ensuring Learning for Each and All: Building Our Expertise." There will be high-powered presentations from both national and state presenters, including the keynote by Dr. Bob Marzano. Here are just a few of the 70 presentations. National Presenters: - LTC Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Retired is a renowned, charismatic, passionate and influential speaker with a mission to empower the next generation of leaders. Throughout her career, Consuelo has shared her personal knowledge on becoming an effective leader in today's global m
 arketplace with hundreds of schools, colleges, universities, corporations, and government institutions both in the United States and abroad.
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"Getting Parents Involved in the Education of Their Children: Home-School Connection Strategies
During this workshop, Consuelo shares the best practices of working to build parental engagement, which she has learned from working with over one thousand school districts and one million students over the last twenty years. Recognizing the great need to develop partnerships between the home and school domains, she challenges participants to think and work outside of the status quo.
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Ron Mirr: The President of CAF� (the Center for Active Family Engagement) has over 25 years of experience helping schools and families work together to improve learning. Ron was the founder of the Iowa Parent Information Resource Center in 1995 and has been a consultant to programs in many different states and internationally on how to engage parents in the  learning process. Ron holds a Master's Degree in Social Work and is a frequent presenter at local, state and national conferences. During the past year, Ron and his colleagues at CAF� have worked with the New York City School District along with schools in multiple states and abroad. He is a co-author of the Family Engagement Assessment-a tool that measures a school's capacity for developing effective partnerships with families. Ron currently teaches a graduate course in family engagement through several universities in Iowa.
- "Beyond the Login - Family Involvement in Secondary Schools"
Schools that provide Parent Portal training tend to focus their efforts on how to login to the system. Few schools give parents detailed information on how to interpret the data they encounter, how to identify "red flags" and patterns in the data, and what to do if they uncover a problem. Logging into the system is simply not enough-parents must be trained on what do to after the login process and feel empowered to take action in response to their student's performance data. During our session participants will learn how to move beyond the login so that parents know: (1) how often to login to the system; (2) what to focus on after login; (3) how to determine if there is a problem; (4) if a problem is found, how to determine why the student is having a problem; (5) how to talk with their child about the problem; (6) how to help their child take responsibility for addressing the problem; and (7) how to take action if their child has difficulty managing the solution.
State-wide Presenters - Julie Graber, Consultant with Prairie Lakes AEA 8
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"Is Your Project-Based Learning (PBL) Engaging? Rigorous? Authentic? Achieving the Intended Learning?"
What do student projects look like in your school? In many classrooms, student "projects" look like cereal box pagodas, glorified powerpoints or Prezis, shoebox floats, styrofoam ball solar systems, and dioramas. Many of these "projects" border on busywork and don't ask students to do authentic work and use technology in rich and transformative ways. Project-based learning involves meaningful inquiry that engages students' minds. Join us for an engaging, discussion-oriented session where you will look at different projects by using the eight essential elements of PBL, an authenticity filter, and the trudacot to analyze for quality and know how to #makethembetter. You will walk away with ideas for starting your own projects or redesigning an existing project.
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Kristi Haupert, Pam Heward, and Jessica Swaab; Elementary Teachers at Collins-Maxwell Community School District
- "Exploring CBE in the Elementary"
Are you wondering how to get started with CBE in your classroom? Does the thought of CBE in you classroom seem daunting and impossible? Don't despair! Come learn with three elementary teachers from Collins-Maxwell as they explain their journey. We will explore CBE, blended learning, and project-based learning during this session. Register now! This is THE conference for all of us - higher ed, superintendents, teachers, principals, central office, AEA staff, DE staff, teacher leaders, building and district teams, TLC teams. Early-bird price (until June 1) is $250 for Iowa ASCD members and $295 for nonmembers, who will receive a complimentary membership in Iowa ASCD. Check out the flyer that was sent earlier this spring as well as published on our Iowa ASCD website in lower left-hand corner. You can also access the full agenda and description on the upper right-hand corner. Join us as we all develop our expertise! |
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Lester Laminack Shares His 5 Favorite Ways to Introduce a Book to Your Students!
Lester Laminack, the presenter at the Iowa ASCD Fall Institute on September 22, shares his five favorite ways to introduce a book to your elementary students: Picture Walk, Book Talk/Commercial, Author Profile, Theme/Topic,  and Just Start Reading.
The following are excerpts from his book, Unwrapping the Read Aloud.Picture Walk
Today we are going to read this book [hold the book so the front cover is visible]. It is called Snow Day!
The author is Lester Laminack, and the illustrator is Adam Gustavson. Take a look at the illustration on the front. These two kids seem to be zipping down a hill on this red sled. Before we read this one, let's take a walk through the pictures and see what is going on.Turn to the first illustration and begin a conversation. It may go something like this: Well, I see a boy looking right at us and his eyes are really large. He looks excited. I wonder what he might be excited about? And look at the girl lying there on the floor in front of the TV. Mmmm, that's interesting, the man on the TV is standing in front of a map and that looks like clouds and snowflakes. I wonder what that man is talking about. Oh look, there is one more person in the illustration. See the man over here? He looks like a grown-up and he's wearing an apron and has a spatula in his hand. It looks as if he is coming from the kitchen to see what is going on. Now I'm really wondering what these three are talking about. Let's turn the page and take a look at the next illustration, shall we? Book Talk/CommercialJust imagine how excited you'd feel if you heard the TV weatherperson announce the possibility of a big snowfall on a SCHOOL NIGHT! Imagine what you'd be thinking about and how excited you would get. Perhaps you'd be thinking about staying up late to watch TV. Or sleeping in the next morning. Or you might be thinking about your homework and how you could just skip it until the next day. Maybe you'd be thinking about all the fun you could have spending the day playing in the snow-snow forts and snowball fights, sledding and snowmen.. . . Oh, and then you'd need to come inside and get warm. There's bound to be hot chocolate on a snow day-mmmm, I do love a good mug full of hot chocolate. Today we are reading Snow Day! I can hardly wait, let's get right to it and see what happens on this snow day. . . .
Author Profile
Today I have a new book for us. This one is called Snow Day!, and look, it's written by Lester Laminack. We know who that is. He wrote Saturdays and Teacakes. Do you remember seeing and hearing him read that book on the DVD I have? He also wrote a few other books that we have in our room; do you remember which books he wrote? Let's take a look [have the books close by and hold each one up]. He wrote Jake's 100th Day of School and Trevor's Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth. Those stories remind us of the things we do at school. We have talked about that several times. He also wrote The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins; remember how that one always makes me cry because it reminds me of my grandmother?
I checked Lester's Web site and bookmarked the page for you if you'd like to go there for yourself. I discovered that Lester was a teacher in an elementary school and in a university. That helps us understand why he might write about what happens at school in Trevor's Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth and Jake's 100th Day of School. I'm thinking Snow Day! might have a connection to school as well. Let's try to remember to look for that as we read. I also found out that he grew up in a very small Alabama town called Heflin. And I discovered that Saturdays and Teacakes is a memoir about growing up in that small town. I am wondering if there is anything from his life in this new book, Snow Day!
Let's think about that when we are listening. Remind me to check the dedication, since authors sometimes share connections for us there. And one more thing I discovered when reading about Lester. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and it does snow there in winter. So now I'm wondering if that's where he got the idea for this new book. Let's take a look inside and see what we find. Theme/Topic LinkSometimes unexpected things can make us change our plans. Rainstorms can cause us to cancel soccer practice. A flat tire on a bike can make us walk when we planned to ride. Sometimes we expect something in the mail and it takes a week longer to arrive than we thought it would. A delay at the airport can cause us to miss a trip. Unexpected events can make us change our plans, and that is what we are reading about this week. I have a basket of books here, and we will read one each day. These are stories about all kinds of plans that just don't work out because something unexpected happens. Let's take a look at the first one, Snow Day!, written by Lester Laminack, with illustrations by Adam Gustavson. Take a moment before we begin to read; let's think about what unexpected event may make these characters change their plans. What plans do you suppose they had? [At this point I sometimes have students share their thinking with someone near first, then share out.] Let's settle in and see what goes awry in this story. . . . Just Start ReadingWell, duh. . . this is pretty clear, huh? All kidding aside, I often just share the title, author, and illustrator, then begin. |
Principal Evaluation: Standards, Rubrics, and Tools for Effective Performance by James H. Stronge
One of 30 Books Available to YOU in the 24/7 Digital Online Books from Iowa ASCD and Reviewed by Sandy Merritt
A special thank you to Iowa ASCD Member Sandy Merritt who shared this review.
This book is written for administrators and districts that are interested in improving their principal evaluation systems. Stronge makes a case for principal evaluation that is focused on the many facets of leadership. There is much more focus on instructional leadership in education today and the impact of effective leadership on student achievement.
The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 covers how to build an evaluation system that is based on research-based performance standards; Part 2 details a set of performance standards, performance indicators, and a rubric for scoring behaviors and evaluating the work of the principal. Included are the 6 standards identified by the Department of Education and another standard based on the results of the principal's work; and Part 3 includes step-by-step plans for implementation, guidelines, and a list of resources.
"Teachers and principals, in particular, are essential for school effectiveness. Putting our resources into recruiting, hiring, developing, and keeping the best teachers and leaders is paramount  for success. And here is why evaluation matters: Unless we have effective evaluation systems in place that accurately differentiate performance, we simply can't even discern whether or not we have effective principals. Furthermore, if we hope to improve principals' performance, we must be able and willing to provide honest, accurate, and meaningful evaluation feedback in order to identify areas in need of improvement and enable principals to make informed decisions regarding professional development to bridge the gap between current practices and desired performance. If designed and implemented properly, a principal evaluation system can play a fundamental role in guiding professional development and renewal, and ensuring that our schools are both excellent and accountable."
Current principal evaluation systems typically rate principal behaviors as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The author believes that changes need to be made in the system. Stronge shares a system that includes a 4-point rating scale rubric to distinguish between highly effective, effective, partially effective and ineffective principals and is growth oriented. The suggested system has a strong focus on instructional leadership and uses research-guided performance standards to measure both the principal's behaviors and student progress. Such a system is already being used by Georgia's Gwinnett County Public Schools, the largest school district in Georgia, with 132 schools and approximately 163,000 students. Principals are rated on leadership standards and student progress in this way - instructional leadership, 10%; school climate, 10%; human resources leadership, 10%; organizational leadership, 10%; communication and community relations, 10%; professionalism, 10%; and student progress, 40%.
"The U.S. Department of Education has defined 'highly effective principals' as those whose students achieve high rates of student growth (typically measured as one grade level and a half over the course of an academic year). The Department of Education also advocates for the inclusion of student growth as a significant measure of principal effectiveness in the evaluation process.A strong nationwide movement for practice-plus-results principal evaluation is taking effect."
Research on effective evaluation of principals has been conducted and is used in the book to connect what principals should know and be able to do to be effective. Cotton, 2003, stated that "principals of effective schools influence student achievement by:
- Giving their teachers the autonomy they need in their classrooms to organize and manage as they see fit;
- Acting to ensure that instructional time is maximized by minimizing interruptions; and
- Focusing on student achievement."
Waters, Marzano, and McNulty suggest that "improvement in leadership effectiveness by one standard deviation can translate into an increase of 10 percentile points in student achievement on a standardized, norm-referenced test."
The author believes that multiple data sources are needed to evaluate principal behaviors because no single source can adequately identify the complexities of school leaders' work. The suggested system includes self-evaluation, informal observations and school site visits, document log, climate surveys, and goal setting. Goals should focus on student achievement and should be reviewed at the beginning of the year, mid-year, and at the end of the year. A "document log," similar to a portfolio, is used to demonstrate skills, talents, and accomplishments related to behaviors and student achievement.
The last part of the book discusses a 7-step implementation plan that includes activities. There is a FAQ and added resources. There are many tables included throughout the book to demonstrate how this system is tied to research-based standards.
This book addresses what is expected of principals, how to find out if the principal is meeting those expectations, and how well he/she is meeting them.
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And remember this book is available to all Iowa ASCD members via the 30 titles available 24/7 for 2015. In addition, these are the other books available 24/7 during 2015 to all Iowa ASCD members that will increase your effectiveness as a leader of learning. (If you have forgotten your password to these resources, please contact Lou Howell at LouHowell@mediacombb.net.) 
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Fall Institute Features Lester Laminack! Writers ARE Readers: Using Reading Structures and Strategies to Nurture More Powerful Writers - September 22
Struggling to meet all the literacy demands of the Iowa Core K-6? Not sure if your students are always applying their new skills in their independent reading? Asking yourself, "What about writing?" Join us to learn with Lester Laminack how we can use what we know about reading to develop powerful writers.
About this Workshop: To be a good writer you must first be able to read deeply and understand author's intent. In this workshop, Lester Laminack will show you that the key to successful writing is harnessing the power of close reading. You will learn how your students can transfer what they know about reading structures and strategies into practices that will hone their writing skills and help them become more focused writers. A more focused writer is also a successful reader. Reading and writing are natural reciprocal relationships that you can use tomorrow in your classroom.
About This Author: Lester Laminack consults with schools all around the country. He is Professor Emeritus at Western Carolina University, where he has won both the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching  Award, and the Botner Superior Teaching Award. Lester is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English. He's the author of several notable books, including The Writing Teacher's Troubleshooting Guide, Bullying Hurts (both with Reba Wadsworth) and Kid-Tested Writing Lessons for Grades 3-6, with Leslie Bauman and Harvey "Smokey" Daniels.
Overview and Learning Objectives:
Writers approach a text with an eye for more than "what's the story here?" Writers look for structure and craft, intention and execution, voice, tone and mood. Writers notice bias and hyperbole, and honesty in content. Writers ARE readers.
Reading and writing are mutually supportive processes, though much of our instruction misses the bonus of that relationship. Efficient readers can be shown how to flip their insights about structure and strategies into more powerful writing. Learning to write using your reader knowledge has important implications for growing more informed and efficient writers and allowing students to grow as both readers and writers.
Across this day we will:
- Explore our accepted reader knowledge and dig in to the flip side of those insights in the work of a writer.
- Tap into a set of selected texts and examine the role of close reading in the development of a focused writer.
- Write a bit ourselves and play with structures and craft.
- Develop a list of text resources and practice using them DURING the workshop.
- Examine some of the typical plateaus/developmental pauses faced by a developing writer and think through the source of those plateaus and ways to nudge them forward.
Participants will receive a copy of:
 Writers ARE Readers: Use Reading Structures and Strategies to Nurture More Powerful Writers
Participants are asked to bring a favorite Read Aloud they use in their classroom: narrative, poetry, informational, opinion or persuasive for use during the workshop.
Who Should Attend: Classroom teachers of Grades K-6, administrators, curriculum coordinators, literacy specialists/coaches
Fee: Early bird special - Before September 10 the fee is $150 for Iowa ASCD members and $195 for nonmembers. After September 10, the fee is $195 for Iowa ASCD members and $240 for nonmembers. Participants may register on line at http://iowaascd.org/index.php/events/event-registration/ or contact Bridget Arrasmith with purchase order with list of participants and their e-mail addresses: 123 Drake University School of Education, 3206 University, Des Moines, IA 503011; bridget.arrasmith@drake.edu; or FAX 515.271.2233.
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Check It Out!
Check out the following:- Middle School Students and On-Line Learning:Middle school administrators are discovering that Iowa Learning Online (ILO) courses can be an asset for their advanced students. Though ILO courses are designed for high school students receiving high school credit, middle school enrollments are allowed at the discretion of the local school district.
- Summer Conference Spotlights Standards Implementation: Registration is under way for a two-day conference June 22-23 in Des Moines focusing on high-impact learning for students, ranging from standards-based grading to effectively putting Iowa's statewide academic standards into practice.
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Jane Schmidt - Educator! Life Learner! Road Warrior! If you live in Iowa, Jane Schmidt has an entry in her journal about a visit to your county. That's because the outgoing 2014 Teacher of the Year has visited all 99 counties during her reign, racking up 15,000 in miles.
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- Are you expecting new curriculum leads in your district next year? If so, be sure to contact us as we want to honor and support them at a breakfast at the Summer Institute as well as learn how we can support them in your district. Contact Lou Howell with names when available.
- Be sure to check out TeachIowa.Gov if looking for a job in education or seeking candidates for positions in your district.
- Registration is under way for a two-day literacy summit sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education July 29-30 in Des Moines.
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Get Iowa ASCD App
Iowa ASCD works every day to be the source for educational leadership in the state of Iowa. With over 1500 members and 2000 Twitter followers, we work to make a strong, positive impact on the learning of all students in Iowa. Join us in this network of passionate  professionals through our new mobile app. It shows events from 20+ educational organizations, allows you to view our website content, has content from our conferences and allows you to receive action alerts - such as when to contact legislators on an important bill. The app is downloadable from Apple iTunes, Google Play or the Windows Store. |
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Webinars for Your Learning
Iowa ASCD seeks to keep you informed about webinars for your learning and the learning of those with whom you work. Check out the following; many of these support the work in your collaborative time and definitely help with implementation of The Core!
- Title: Peer Coaching - Pathways for Reflection, Growth, Teaching Excellence, and Student Achievement
- Presenter: Pam Robbins
- Provider: ASCD
- Date: June 18, 2015 at 2:00 P.M. CDT
- Register Here
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 Stay current with learning! Follow Iowa ASCD on Twitter! We would like to follow you on Twitter as well. If you are willing to share your "Twitter Handle" with us, please leave your information on this site. |
 Iowa ASCD is the source for developing instructional leadership and translating research into daily practice. Serving more than 1500 educators - teachers, principals, superintendents, directors of curriculum, technology specialists, teacher leaders, college professors, AEA staff, pre-service students - Iowa ASCD strives to develop the collaborative capacity to impact the learning of each and every student in Iowa. |
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gives your school more curriculum options