How can school leaders deliver high-quality customer service?

New resource emphasizes the critical importance of parent, community satisfaction; offers practical advice on creating a culture of exemplary customer service in K-12 schools

As part of its mission to help schools address persistent communication and community engagement challenges, K12 Insight has released the latest installment in its monthly School Leader’s Definitive Guide series.

The School Leader’s Definitive Guide to Quality Customer Service gives educators a set of practical steps to help them expand the lens of “success” beyond the classroom to student and family satisfaction.

At a time when the nation’s public schools are losing students to charter and other alternative schools, educators don’t have the luxury of being unresponsive or making decisions in a vacuum. Parents and families want schools that listen and respond to their feedback.…Read More

Can $47M help improve universities’ principal training?

District administrators say university principal programs need to improve

A new five-year, $47 million initiative from the Wallace Foundation will help improve universities’ principal training, especially for the nation’s highest-need schools.

The initiative is prompted in part by new studies pointing to a concern that many programs are falling short of school district needs and expectations.

The University Preparation Program Initiative will fund the redesign of up to six university programs, all in states with policies supportive of high-quality principal training.…Read More

The 4 essential elements of any successful one-to-one program

Not all successful one-to-one programs are alike. But they do share some common ground

As more and more schools and districts set goals to provide one-to-one access to technology to students to meet teaching and learning goals, district and school leaders are faced with the task of planning and implementing technology resources at levels that they might not have experienced in the past. My district, Santa Ana Unified (SAUSD), is increasing access to students through a program called “Access for All,” a well-received iPad and Chromebook initiative. Through this experience, we have developed a model for planning and implementation. Here’s how we got started.

Establish your vision

It is important that any plan to increase levels of access to technology to students does not move forward as a “technology for technology’s sake” effort, but that is integrated as part of the district or school vision for teaching and learning. At SAUSD, the goal of expanding access to technology to students is aligned to the district Framework for Teaching and Learning and has been established as an essential part of the district vision. This vision is centered on establishing a growth model with expanding choice options for students, enhancing personalized learning pathways, and providing a wide variety of blended learning opportunities to support increased student engagement and improved student learning outcomes.

Provide opportunities for stakeholder engagement

One of the first considerations when planning a one-to-one initiative is establishing support and funding. The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) is a critical part of California’s Local Control Funding Formula. As part of establishing the LCAP plan, school districts must engage parents, educators, staff, and the community.…Read More

School leadership toolkit targets digital equity

CoSN’s new tools aim to solve ‘homework gap’ and help students benefit from digital learning

A new toolkit aims to improve digital equity in school systems across the nation by helping district leaders develop thoughtful and measured strategies to narrow the homework gap in their communities.

Launched by CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking), the Digital Equity Action Toolkit for district leaders was introduced through CoSN’s new Digital Equity Action Agenda leadership initiative.

The new leadership initiative and version 1.0 toolkit provides a historic contextual background of the issue, explains the “homework gap,” details broader implications of household connectivity, and lays out steps school districts can take to start closing the homework gap in their communities.…Read More

AASA names 2016 Superintendent of the Year

Announcement made at AASA’s National Conference on Education

Thomas S. Tucker, superintendent of Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been named the 2016 AASA National Superintendent of the Year. The announcement came at the National Conference on Education, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

The other National Superintendent of the Year finalists were:

• Pamela Moran, Albemarle County Schools, Charlottesville, Va.
• Steven Webb, Vancouver Public Schools, Vancouver, Wash.
• Freddie Williamson, Hoke County Schools, Raeford, N.C.…Read More

The 4 conditions that support deeper learning

Deeper learning competencies serve as “North Star” for a new vision of teaching, according to a new report

Teachers must exchange their traditional instructor role for that of a “learning strategist” in order to achieve deeper learning outcomes, according to a new white paper from the nonprofit National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) and ConsultEd Strategists.

The report’s authors also found that teachers who do achieve deeper learning with their students personalize learning experiences, apply real-world knowledge to learning, and use technology in a way that enhances and empowers student learning.

Deeper learning refers to the competencies, knowledge, and skills that students must develop to be successful post-K-12. There are more than 500 schools across the country that incorporate various types of deeper learning methods.…Read More

Should you treat your school like a business?

As parents have more choices regarding where their children go to school, some districts are beginning to view students and parents as “customers” — with surprising results

The idea of treating students, parents and the school community as customers isn’t an entirely new one, but it’s still one that makes some school leaders balk. After all, schools are institutions of learning, and traditionally, they have not been thought of as businesses.

But with the growth of charter schools and online schools, parents have other options to explore if their child’s school does not meet expectations — and when students leave, so, too, does funding.

And in an effort to increase parental engagement and ensure that parents and community members feel as though they are part of their children’s school, the newly-passed Every Student Succeeds Act includes multiple methods to increase parental engagement, including expanded accessibility, regular two-way communication, and enhanced parent and family engagement policies.…Read More

Watch 14 thought leadership presentations from a recent ed-tech symposium

New library of thought leadership resources will support creation of dynamic digital learning environments

In July 2015, Discovery Education, provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms and CUE, the California-based organization inspiring innovative learners and advocating educational opportunities for all, partnered with the California State Parks to host a unique leadership symposium.

Designed specifically for California superintendents interested in creating dynamic digital learning environments that meet the needs of today’s learners, this event featured a series of brief, thought-provoking talks that surfaced actionable strategies for improving teaching and learning.

Now, Discovery Education and CUE are sharing with educators nationwide the library of presentations from this event. These presentations explore a variety of critical topics, including using professional development to support device deployment, communicating with stakeholders, improving attendance and discipline during the digital transition, and more, and were delivered by school leaders from across California as well as nationally recognized Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Dallas Dance.…Read More

N.J. experiments with new engagement platform

New engagement platform uses web and mobile-based technology to help students and their parents navigate K-12 challenges

Evolution Labs and The New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), the state’s professional association of school leaders, have partnered to further develop and make available to NJASA members the company’s web- and mobile-based student and parent success platform, Suite360.

Suite360 leverages new media engagement features with critical content to help students and parents navigate a range of issues, from bullying and cyber-bullying to mental health and wellness, to academic pressures. Under the partnership, NJASA will provide guidance to help shape the platform to meet the specific needs of its member districts.

Dr. Richard G. Bozza, Executive Director of the NJASA will formally announce the partnership and program at the upcoming Techspo 2016 conference in Atlantic City, January 28-29.…Read More

Teachers want larger role in ed-tech decisions

A new survey reveals that more teachers want a say in which products are purchased for their classrooms

More teachers want to play an increased role in ed-tech decision-making, according to a survey of more than 4,300 teachers by TES Global in partnership with the Jefferson Education Accelerator.

In fact, the majority of surveyed teachers (63 percent) said they believe they should be the primary decision-makers when it comes to technology in their classrooms.

But despite that majority, only 38 percent of those surveyed said they are consulted during the ed-tech decision-making process, citing a feeling that teacher buy-in does not play a major role in such purchasing decisions.…Read More

Future Ready update adds new resources and PD for leaders

Future Ready overhaul coincides with the new national ed-tech plan

Last Thursday, The United States Department of Education held an event at the White House unveiling the 2016 National Education Technology Plan and celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Future Ready initiative. There, along with several partner groups, they announced several new commitments and initiatives to help schools become more digitally capable.

The main theme of the event was connectivity, but that extends far beyond merely connecting students to technology. Instead, the idea of connectivity envisioned for the future is that technology will serve as a means to connect students to teachers, and allow all students to experience the same access to their interests regardless of demographics.

“There’s an answer for every challenge out there,” said Daryl Adams, Superintendent of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, who attended the event. “United in purpose and mission, we can do anything.”…Read More