The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District has been in consistent discussions regarding the improvements of our athletic complex. The existing complex was constructed in the early 1970's and has more than served its purpose. It is time to provide the necessary improvements so that the students and communities can continue to enjoy the facilities for an additional 50 years.
With this decision there are many factors to consider, such as the following:
Funding of the Project
Field Surface
Track Size (Eight Lane vs Nine Lane)
Available Space
Parking Surface
Timeline
This list is not all-inclusive as there are several other items to consider. With that said, important decisions are to be made. The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School Board is carefully considering all options and will be looking to put together an advisory committee to provide feedback and insight. If you are interested in being on this committee, please feel free to contact the District Office at 507.234.5181, extension 5.
In October, 2015 I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the Personalized Learning Institute sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and School Improvement Network (SINET). The event was filled with opportunities to discuss personalizing education for all students. Several superintendents throughout the country were in attendance to learn from experts and to share their stories of personalized education.
From May 9th through May 11th I experienced the second Personalized Learning Institute. This opportunity deepened my understanding of personalized learning and developed further ideas in terms of what this may look like at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton. In an effort to provide stakeholders a view of this experience, I created stories via my Storify account. You can view these experiences via the following links:
Day 1 - goo.gl/kzRdCJ
Day 2 - goo.gl/mExUsn
Day 3 - goo.gl/v5G5RB
During my time at the Institute I had the opportunity to chat with Roger Cook, Superintendent of Taylor County Schools in Kentucky. His district has been practicing personalized learning for the past 11 years. With all of that said, we will be taking a crew of 12 stakeholders to Taylor County to experience their Personalized Learning Institute in June. The following individuals will be making the trip:
Bill Adams - Superintendent Jeremy Erler - Principal Kevin Babcock - Principal Mike Skinner - Teacher Eric Kehoe - Teacher Jessica Keech - Teacher Sharyn Miller - Teacher Melanie Morrow - Teacher Tim Oelke - School Board Member Kelly Eustice - School Board Member Laura Seys - School Board Member Dan Hoehn - School Board Member
To gain a further understanding of personalized learning our administrative team has completed reading an outstanding book entitled, Tapping the Power of Personalized Learning by Dr. James Rickabaugh. This book provided excellent resources for the development of the personalized learning philosophy. There were outstanding reflective questions provided accompanied by suggestions for action plans.
The "Honeycomb Approach" was something that struck a chord with me. Through this approach, there is a focus placed on the learner through learner profiles, customized learning paths, and proficiency-based progress. The next ring of the honeycomb is that of teaching and learning followed by relationships and roles and capped off with structures and policies. It is important to begin in the center and work our way towards the outer rings as opposed to working from the outside in. When all put together, an extraordinary learning opportunity occurs for all students.
Please stay tuned to future blog posts regarding our personalized learning discussions.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was the 36th president of the United States of America ("Lyndon B. Johnson", 2015). In 1965 he signed into law the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The U.S. Department of Education states that President Johnson's premise of this act was to ensure a full educational opportunity was our first national goal (http://www.ed.gov/esea). Since 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has provided districts throughout the United States financial assistance through grants. These grants were provided to districts that served low-income and special needs students (http://www.ed.gov/esea). This was the original deed that put accountability of United States schools on the map and legislation from this point has been a manifestation of this act. The accountability measure being utilized for comparison purposes was that of worldwide student achievement (http://www.ed.gov/esea).
Further education concerns in the United States began with the authoring of A Nation at Risk in 1983. This publication asserted that schools throughout the United States were failing. The report highlighted various studies that supported students in the United States were under achieving on national and international scales. A Nation at Risk ignited reform efforts throughout public schools receiving federal funds in an effort to increase achievement (United States, 1983).
In 2002, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was reauthorized with bipartisan support. The name given was No Child Left Behind. This reauthorization was under the guidance of President George Walker Bush. President Bush intended to eliminate the achievement gap among underserved groups of students. The No Child Left Behind legislation ramped up accountability on all District's served with federal funds (http://www.wed.gov/esea). This accountability included the implementation of statewide assessments that measured student achievement in a disaggregated format. The disaggregation of the data provided comparison measures of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and disability (http://www.ed.gov/esea). Achievement results were to be reported to the public after data was released.
Although accountability has its place, opponents have consistently applied pressure on legislatures to eliminate assessment requirements of these legislative actions. On December 10, 2015 the United States signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act. This reauthorization of ESEA had some appropriate adjustments, however, it did not go far enough to bring into balance two important components of a child's education, achievement AND creativity.
For a look at comparative data between ESSA and NCLB, click here.
The federal government and citizens of the United States have applied extreme focus on accountability since 1965. Starting in 2002 that focus was applied to standardized assessments. In Minnesota, students take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments each spring. The final results of these assessments arrive in districts the following fall. School districts throughout the State are then "graded" on their achievement results and progress. Parents and community members are provided the results through website postings, newspaper articles and mailings. Although accountability and communication are important, it is my firm belief that we need to reprioritize for our students' sake. In an effort to save you time from further reading, I have provided bullet points below in support of my argument for efficiency purposes:
- We need to move from one test for accountability to a system of balanced assessments that inform instruction and track growth.
- We need to move from a heavy focus on achievement data to a balanced blend of creativity, rigor, and results.
- We need to move from academic rich preschool environments to engaged play based classroom instruction and learning.
- We need to move from the regurgitation of facts to sustained learning.
- We need to move from the factory model of education to a personalized practice.
- We need to move from highlighting student achievement only to the development of the whole child.
- We need to move from isolation to sustained collaboration and connectivity.
- We need to move from skepticism of public education to trusting our well prepared and motivated teachers and administrators.
- We need to move to a balanced system of creativity and achievement.
Obviously we want to ensure our students learn at high levels and leave our schools exceptionally prepared to enter college or careers. However, I believe this can be achieved by balancing our systems to ensure all students are provided with what they need. If we can partner in this effort to transform our educational practice, I believe the students at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton will be eternally grateful for the education we provided them.
The video below was prepared by Sir Ken Robinson and is a nice depiction of current systems of reality in the United States. This video is a bit lengthy (11 minutes and 41 seconds) but well worth the time. Enjoy!
Here are some other interesting pieces to consider:
Each year the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) recognizes students through the ExCEL program. The ExCEL program stands for Excellence in Community, Education, and Leadership. This is awarded to juniors that have volunteered in the community, perform well academically and display leadership attributes. This school year the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District had a recipient of this prestigious award, Nathan Schmitz.
Nathan has been a Boy Scout for several years. He earned his Eagle Scout designation recently when he completed a community project. Nathan redesigned the Prairie Ridge Golf Course sign which currently greets visitors as you enter the parking lot. In addition, Nathan as been a great leader in the community through his work in the Boy Scouts.
The ExCEL award is fine recognition for the outstanding students in the State of Minnesota. We are proud of Nathan Schmitz for all that he does and for receiving this award. He is very deserving!
On April 25th, 2016 the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Public School District will be conducting a screening of the film, Beyond Measure. This film focuses on a variety of settings that are "doing" education differently to meet the needs of today's learners.
Our current educational system is based on the Prussian model and was brought to the United States by Horace Mann in 1843. This industrial model is no longer relevant for today's learners. Sir Ken Robinson appropriately states the following:
"The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed -- it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions."
At Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton we are committed to personalizing education for our students so that they may uncover and ignite their individual talents. Whole child personal development should drive the work of a district not achievement scores gleaned from a one-time assessment.
The start of this conversation for our district will be with this film, Beyond Measure. All families are encouraged to attend this event to gain a deeper understanding of personalized learning. There will be a facilitated discussion at the conclusion of the film with a Q&A session to follow. Here is a sneak peek:
Important Information:
Where: JWP Auditorium (110 E. 3rd St. Janesville, MN 56048, Enter Door S1)
When: Monday, April 25, 2016 at 7:00 pm
Cost: This is a free event. In addition, typical movie theater concessions will be available for purchase.
Child Care: The National Honor Society will provide child care services during the screening.
Sign Up: If you are planning on attending, please click here so that we may properly plan (one registration per attendee).
You can learn more about the film by clicking here.
Mr. Sveen's daughter and former JWP student, Kayla Sveen, is soon to experience a unique opportunity. Currently Kayla is student teaching in Flandreu, South Dakota. In the very near future she'll be taking her talents to Belize for a two week teaching adventure.
In preparation of this experience, JWP's 5th grade students gathered a collection of books for Kayla to share with her students when she arrives. The 5th graders also composed letters to be shared with students. It is the hope of JWP 5th grade students to connect with Kayla Sveen and her students via Google Hangouts upon her arrival in Belize.
This is a great example of how our students' educational experiences are evolving. Quite literally, our students can take their learning to a global level using our new technologies. This is also a fine example of the many ways our teachers are integrating technology as a way to leverage real world learning experiences.
A special thank you goes out to our 5th grade teachers and their students for the efforts they put forth to make this all a possibility.
To follow this experience closely, you can click here for a blog that highlights Kayla's experiences.
Rural school districts are dependent on their communities to provide a plethora of support. The Janesville-Waldof-Pemberton School District is fortunate to reside in a supportive community. Janesville, Waldorf and Pemberton have supported this school district since its inception in the fall of 1989 through bonds, referendums, monetary donations, time and effort. Each gesture has and will continue to be appreciated.
Two specific organizations have worked diligently throughout the years to provide additional support above and beyond what is already in place. The Booster Club and Parent Teacher Association have provided the district with a variety of needs, such as, indoor and outdoor batting cages, SMARTboards, iPads, blocking sleds, and many other items. These two groups filled with outstanding volunteers have worked relentlessly to ensure our children are provided with the tools they need to build on their successes.
Please come out on March 12, 2016 at 6:00 pm to support the Booster Club's first ever Bulldog Night Out at the Purple Goose in Janesville. This event is being conducted to raise additional funds to provide continued support of our programs at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton. Highlights of the event are as follows:
Beverage Tasting
Silent Auction
Live Entertainment
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 or at the door for $25. If you are interested, you may purchase tickets at the JWP District Office, Purple Goose, selected school events or online at www.bulldognightout.com.
We hope to see you at this event to support our outstanding children! Thank you Booster Club for your dedication to the children of the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Public School District. You are appreciated!
