#caedchat is for California educators, by California educators. All are welcome as moderators and participants discuss issues that emerge in California education, which are generally applicable to other regions of the United States.
Tonight’s #caedchat topic: Continuous Improvement in Public Education: A collaboration among educators, communities, and policymakers - starts in exactly one hour! @CohenD and @EricHeins of @WeAreCTA will moderate. Hope to see many CA educators joining in!
Glad to have you all joining #caedchat tonight. The topic is Continuous Improvement in Public Education: A collaboration among educators, communities, and policy makers. Tonight’s chat is moderated by @CohenD and special guest moderator @EricHeins, President of @WeAreCTA
Welcome to #caedchat, where educators gather to share and collaborate!
Let’s all take a moment to introduce ourselves. Where are you from? What do you teach, or what is your role in education?
#caedchat tips: Use TweetDeck and have multiple columns open for the chat: one for real time, one for where you are in the chat, one for mentions and replies, etc.
To participate in the chat, be sure to use the #caedchat hashtag on every tweet.
Moderators will post questions with Q1, Q2, Q3. Participants respond with A1, A2, A3, etc. Here is the link to the public doc with the questions for tonight - plus many related resources and documents: https://t.co/98u8QAL8W9#caedchat
I teach at NAS Lemoore in Kings County- Central Valley. I am also a CTA leader at local & regional level. Completed 9yrs in state council on State Leg Comm #caedchat
We’ve gone through an entire accountability and systems shift. It is not enough to just understand LCAP, LCFF, & CA Dashboard, we need to have a deeper understanding of the system that was created as the “The California Way” #caedchat
We’ve gone through an entire accountability and systems shift. It is not enough to just understand LCAP, LCFF, & CA Dashboard, we need to have a deeper understanding of the system that was created as the “The California Way” #caedchat
A1: I was excited for LCAP. Thought it'd trigger true collaboration and transparency towards goals but in most districts I haven't seen that. Seems lip service to just continue doing what has always been done. #caedchat
Completely! It has highlighted some areas needing attention, but in the grand scheme, I don't think it has same impact as when I was at a Title I Dist #caedchat
The difficult thing is shaking out the variety of documents in which the “system” is provided. A good place to start is here, is this early document:https://t.co/WzXxfuuwen#caedchat
A1) for my district I don’t feel like much has changed but it has for many districts around us who have the meetings w/ community & other stakeholders. My district has created some new specials. So happy I have such good training from CTA on new policies. #caedchat
A1: The era of NCLB/CST/STAR created an expectation of scoring schools and districts with ONE number. Like any measure it seemed easy to understand but failed to explain the real issues. Districts and schools are battling changing this simplistic expectation. #CaEdchat
A1: I know that Fresno Teachers Assoc. really took advantage of changes to increase their community engagement and change the culture of the district #caedchat
The State has put a lot of focus on continuous improvement as a way forward to supporting our districts in this process of moving forward to improve outcomes for all students. #caedchat
Building those bridges of connection and understanding are vital to making this a positive process in improving our students to better support our students, our parents, our educators, schools, districts. #caedchat
Being newer to education, I haven’t sent direct impacts yet because of LCAP funding. I know it exists and that there are various implications. #CAedchat
Q2: The CA Education GPS vision of school improvement includes focus on equity. What does that mean at the local level? Give examples of your goals, steps you’ve taken, or observed? #caedchat
We have done some work in Differentiated Assistance and are beginning to implement PDSA cycles - Plan-Do-Study-Act. To monitor change ideas and their impact. #caedchat
A1:we have been able to introduce: 1 FTE social worker, Family Liaison, intervention teacher at each site. A large team of instructional coaches Behavior specialist and tech. 1:1 I Pad initiative to ensure access and equity #caedchat
I heard the new governor wants to bring back some categorical funding to LCAP to 'protect' funding from going towards raises. Not sure how that will play into impacts on programs #caedchat
The CA School Dashboard not only gives us overall data, it provides subgroup data for students to make sure we focused on improving all students groups. We will see more of this focus as the TSI and ATSI processes move forward to support individual schools. #caedchat
Just a quick reminder, here are the questions for tonight, and lots of resources, links, docs regarding GPS and other state info #caedchathttps://t.co/wkX6ulMxY9
A2: pursuit of equity means we look at lots of indicators to know how diff. Groups of students are doing, how they experience our schools. We try to understand gaps and fix inequities when observed, though plenty of work to do there in #PAUSD#CAedchat
A6: SPED Teachers need more respect. Don’t ask for my input only to ignore me. We need Admin. who really want to support #SPEDteachers. Stop breading communities where general educator speak ill of SPED and the #accountability#CAEdChat
A2. Focusing on equity and performance can be revolutionary - but it requires a different mindset from simply checking boxes and getting better test scores. how can we get the buy in of all stake holders?
#caedchat
Hi Howard, One of the things the new Education Policy GPS does is try to break down some of the policy speak and give context about what major system changes are now in place -- https://t.co/cjqDmEDSLD. #CAedchat. We want to battle against acronym-speak.
Our district is able to provide districtwide supports. It helps level the playing field for all schools. All schools have kids with needs. All kids deserve enrichment opportunities. All teachers need PD opportunities. Capacity building for All #caedchat
Q2: The CA Education GPS vision of school improvement includes focus on equity. What does that mean at the local level? Give examples of your goals, steps you’ve taken, or observed? #caedchat
A2: Achieving equity for students means a change in adult behavior. Continuous Improvement works best when people on the “Frontlines” are part of the team. #WeDon’tImproveOthers #CaEdchat
A2) Adding back counselors to support students & adding a STEM teacher at smaller sites has helped with equity in my district. I appreciate how our science is fully funded & supported at all sites especially in a rural area & that we lots of events for our communities. #caedchat
A2: Achieving equity for students means a change in adult behavior. Continuous Improvement works best when people on the “Frontlines” are part of the team. #WeCanOnlyImproveOurselves#CaEdchat
A2: not directly answering the question, but the focus on equity is so important. NCLB took one step forward in that direction, and then two steps back. CA has been keeping a better focus overall in past 10+ years though
#caedchat
Q3: It’s critical to engage students, families, and communities in improvement efforts. What are you doing to elevate engagement? What assistance or support could help you and colleagues better engage all stakeholders?
Also, if you want info on the CSI, TSI, and ATSI School Support and Assistance, here is the powerpoint from the latest webinar: https://t.co/nKiMGYaEAx
There is also more info coming from the SBE meeting in January. #caedchat
A6: Please don’t wait until crap hits the fan to ask me if I need help or support. Especially if it is a new teacher. We can ask questions we may just not know exactly what and how to ask. If and when I do ask don’t shoot me down or make me feel bad. #CAEdChat
A3: When I was a teacher in a Title I Dist, we learned that families are not always comfy coming to schools. So go to them - churches, community centers. If you truly value their input, find ways to get it. #caedchat
Put kids needs first. Communicate often. Seek first to understand rather than to be understood. Presume positive intent. Change the narrative about public schools. Be careful what and how you message needs. We can be our own worst enemies #caedchat
We are still struggling to create environments that see schools and districts as “learning” organizations, rather than “knowing” organizations. This shift and understanding is vital to the future of a continuous improvement mindset. #caedchat
A3 Engaging all stake holders require that they have true agency and are valued - building solutions from the ground up together - not just responding to other's plans. #caedchat
A3: I know I already referenced Fresno Teachers Assoc., but I was so impressed with how they’ve engaged the community. They organized their own LCAP meetings around town, provided food, child care, translation, and really got teachers talking w/ community #caedchat
Q3: what I do know that the district does is provide engagement surveys to the community and staff to help determine where funds should go. Everyone’s opinion is equally valued. #CAedchat
Agreed - we keep doing the same things and get the same results. Booth in front of the grocery store, QR codes on restaurant windows...need to reach families where they are #caedchat
A3: When I was a teacher in a Title I Dist, we learned that families are not always comfy coming to schools. So go to them - churches, community centers. If you truly value their input, find ways to get it. #caedchat
Creating that sense of community is vital, as much so as having a real vision of the future that supports our students, especially in a time where the very idea of learning, skillsets, and the world of work is changing at an accelerated and often exponential pace. #caedchat
So true. Hard to show we're "learning" org when we come across as knowing "the" answers. We need to be open to outside ideas, which shows we're truly learning. #caedchat
A3) Part I. my district serves 3 different communities: a large military base, a Native American Rancheria w/ a casino & a farmworking community. Each school has many evening & day events to engage our parents & others. #caedchat
Which also allows us to spend more time engaging around deeper and bigger questions. Questions that we need time to put out on the table and consider. #caedchat
A3 -- The CA School Dashboard is an excellent way to engage parents and school communities to have more conversations about the needs, strengths and challenges in their schools #CAedchat. Data opens up doors to communication...
Yes! Yes! Yes! Why do same families attend everything? Hmm... seek out the rest! Spaghetti dinners, soccer games, etc. Make connections and stop expecting parents to take time off to come to us, i.e. parent conferences #caedchat
Q4: Schools should be collaborative learning environments where staff continually develop knowledge and capacity to serve ALL students. So... how’s your capacity (individually, or school/district)? What works, or doesn’t? #caedchat
A3 Part 2) my grade level team also communicates weekly via text, emails, Twitter & website https://t.co/H9Kv1oy3kv. I also try to invite parents often to help with science labs. I bring in speakers for STEAM careers. #caedchat
What does true equity look like in the classroom? district? community? Policy can be great but if it results in the same behaviors just with a different name - we shouldn't expect different results. #caedchat
A4: this one really concerns me. My school/district have abundant resources and we still struggle with this. I know most districts are trying to make it happen with even greater challenges up front #caedchat
A4: We are using learning "hubs" to dig deep into transforming edu. I blogged about it recently since I was getting questions about it: https://t.co/RkNjZKJvPz#CAEdChat
We have to understand, especially in today’s change world, that we have to have a clarity of vision, an understanding of “best” practices, while having a willingness to engage “next” practices. We need to be able to see our systems, and determine how to improve them. #caedchat
A4: Weekly we have opportunities where we share our what’s working in our classroom. This cross grade-level collaboration is quite important to our work. #CAedchat
Check out @CaliforniaPTA's engagement program called School Smarts -- one great example of how to reach more parents across all communities (and develop parent leaders and advocates!) https://t.co/erkyZsPg2f#Caedchat
Yes! Yes! Yes! Why do same families attend everything? Hmm... seek out the rest! Spaghetti dinners, soccer games, etc. Make connections and stop expecting parents to take time off to come to us, i.e. parent conferences #caedchat
Q4) I’m so fortunate to work on a super team that collaborates daily to help our shared Ss and to teach each other new tech tools as well as collaborate on curriculum. I am encouraged by my site admin to take risks & try new things. I often field test curriculum. #caedchat
A4: okay, raise your hand if your school or district says “professional learning community” and then does something that’s not really PLC work? #caedchat
#CAedchat It’s uneven. I teach at a high performing school with inequities, but some teachers are like, “Look at my test scores. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” The community’s resources mask the shortfalls in instruction.
A4: We must stretch and flex our #Improvement muscles as a system and as individuals.
The old school model of learning “One-best-way" to teach in our first 4 years of the career is OVER.
#CaEdchat
A3: Developing community partners. Tell your story to local service organizations, city leaders, chamber of commerce. Get them@seeing and hearing about your challenges and needs. #caedchat
Focusing on continuous improvement to build equity/ performance requires us to have diff conversations . teacher:student, administrator:teacher, labor:management, schools:community. Building safe collaborative environments is essential. It's all about relationships #caedchat
I’m familiar with that dynamic (though we don’t even talk about test scores) - but yes, when kids and community mostly have everything going for them it can make allow schools/teachers to coast if they’re not mindful, reflective #caedchat
I understand what you mean. It's hard to fight those fights when the test scores are good... and yet, we know they aren't the full story of what's happening #CAEdChat
We need collaborative levels if we're truly going to improve our systems, with deeper understanding cascading to each level, from State Board room to the classroom. Including the in between, from CCSESA, CCEE, County, Districts and Schools. It takes the village. #caedchat
Yep: PLC is supposed to be autonomous, focused on learning something new, and using student work to analyze results. Too many just treat it as collaboration time #caedchat
Great point and a huge comment on the reality of good schools which could be great. This is a change we must help the adults embrace. Leaving behind 30% of our Ss isn’t acceptable, just because 70% are doing okay. #CaEdchat
#CAedchat It’s uneven. I teach at a high performing school with inequities, but some teachers are like, “Look at my test scores. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” The community’s resources mask the shortfalls in instruction.
Q5: How can we help education policymakers to understand and support the kind of ongoing professional learning that really (really!) leads to continuous improvement in schools? #caedchat
Focusing on continuous improvement to build equity/ performance requires us to have diff conversations . teacher:student, administrator:teacher, labor:management, schools:community. Building safe collaborative environments is essential. It's all about relationships #caedchat
Too often the vision is bottlenecked & does not cascade across the system. We have to improve our communication systems, which is easier said than done. This is deep, complex, ongoing work. There's no silver bullet. Requires clarity, transparency, and a bit of messiness #caedchat
A5: to borrow from the musical #Hamilton it’s a question of who tells your story! We need to find the best examples and speak directly to policymakers at every level. #caedchat
And a lot of research shows that TRUST is built on VULNERABILITY (and not vice versa). How many EDU leaders do you know that are willing to be vulnerable? #CAEdChat
A5) invite your local political representatives to your classrooms, attend town halls, become a legislative advocate, follow reps in Twitter and Tweet at them. I am exited what @TonyThurmond will do as SPI. #caedchat
Messy, no silver bullets - exactly! Ongoing dialogue, long-term thinking, working on the foundations, the culture of the school/district, and having MUTUAL accountability #caedchat
As you look at transformational work, organizations that have had real transformation, not only told there story, they refused to fall into the “default” future and built their own future “narrative” that provided clarity and commitment to what they were working towards #caedchat
A5: but since many of us don’t have those direct lines to policy makers we have to cultivate those too. Get to know people, go to their events, and make sure your union speaks to these issues if you’re in a union #caedchat
Be a “learner” is a journey. Being an “expert” is a destination. Ongoing relevance in a world that is constantly changing requires more “learners” than “experts” #caedchat
Which is where we must live to achieve #Equity for ALL students in California.
Many “Successful” parents are part of the privilege system which fights against equity!
I have had many of these conversations.
#CaEdchat
Q6: High teacher turnover and continual improvement are virtually incompatible. The GPS emphasizes importance of teacher retention. What do policymakers need to understand about effective teacher retention? #caedchat
In The Culture Code, Coyle shares research. Compassion is embedded in vulnerability. If I expose my weakness to you, and you respond supportively, trust is established between us. Many wait for trust in order to be vulnerable and it just doesnt happen #CAEdChat
In my group's PD we stress to educators the importance of telling their own story and not to silo themselves into their classroom. Here in Michigan, you don't want the politicians telling the story for you. #caedchat
A5: to borrow from the musical #Hamilton it’s a question of who tells your story! We need to find the best examples and speak directly to policymakers at every level. #caedchat
This is going to take a blending of “best” practices and the discovery learning that leads to “next” practices. When we set a target and don’t hit it, don’t look at the failure, look at the gap between. Investigate that gap, and there will be where the learning happens #caedchat
I know one. And she has been pretty beaten up as a result. Yet she continues to do so. It is often a very painful and lonely road to hoe. #Loveistheanswer#ItBeginswithME#caedchat
I dont think vulnerable needs to equal wrong. Vulnerable could just be, "We're learning as we go, figuring this out." It means not acting like we have all the answers. #CAEdChat
A5: but since many of us don’t have those direct lines to policy makers we have to cultivate those too. Get to know people, go to their events, and make sure your union speaks to these issues if you’re in a union #caedchat
Yes. It's hard not to say "Do it this way" or "I know" but to say, "Hmm.. what do you think?" or "I'm open to ideas" or even "I truly don't know" #CAEdChat
In reply to
@DCulberhouse, @DKriedeman, @EricHeins
A6) teacher retention has many parts. In large urban districts it must understand cost of living/housing, in rural districts there is an issue in attracting teachers, beginning teacher pay vs student debt, credentialing for 2nd career professionals is confusing, etc #caedchat
And it is not just policymakers. We need leaders that can facilitate and create environments that promote retention, learning, collaboration and ongoing support. #caedchat
A6: retention is about relationships first, then helping people be effective and successful, and then being compensated professionally so you can stay #caedchat
Some of the best PD is colleague to colleague. It’s why #WeAreCTA worked with @scope_stanford to create the Instructional Leaderhisp Corps #CAILC More than 100,00O educators trained. #caedchat
Q7: CA is launching a new System of Support providing “differentiated assistance and support” depending on a district’s improvement needs. What support would be most helpful to your school/district? #caedchat (more info: https://t.co/4PzAdN4glH)
Yes AND, we often encourage people to FAIL loud and proud in the service of learning. Wrong doesn’t have to have a negative connotation.
Imagine the person who says “I was wrong when I…, Now I…”. This would build trust for me. #caedchat
A6: Retention is about relationships - and respect. This is at the core of continuous improvement - taking risks together and not expecting punishment and shaming if it doesn't work #caedchat
A7: We need support understanding how to best meet the needs of ELs. Ours are not Spanish, but a lot of Asian countries whose parents come over for the biotech industry. #CAEdChat
Not just simple, but always looking for the new. We either add too much to the plate, or lurch from one to the other before mastering anything #caedchat
A6: future teachers and Admin need to understand what they are getting into when choosing an environment. Don’t move to an area and you haven’t developed your cultural communication skills. #CAedchat
We've worked diligently to build relationships through LCFF/LCAP/Dashboard processes and we're continuing that mindset with differentiated assistance & systems of support. The goal is not to tell people what to do, it is to help them amplify and accomplish their goals. #caedchat
A7) a systemic system of support for student challenges that works the same for All Educators & ESPs who work w/ Ss, more paid staff for more programs in rural/ high poverty sites, WiFi access for all homes in district. Staffing for parenting support #caedchat
Q8: Many of us would say CA ed. policy moved in good directions in recent years: more money, new accountability system less focused on testing, required teacher and community input in LCAP. How can educators effectively influence policymakers to craft better policy? #caedchat
A7: All schools would benefit from a major change in the way higher education “Wags the dog”. Higher ed defines susccess was school chase College going rates!
1place starting to change the conversation to getting Ss ready for successful lives. Checkout @CVWorldofWork#CaEdchat
A8: I swear @ericheins didn’t put me up to this but I’d say sometimes you need to get together with 50,000 friends and take to the streets to influence policy makers in CA! #caedchat#UTLAStrong@UTLAnow@OaklandEA
A8: We need to get involved individually. Unions have their voice, but we all need to be vocal and connect w/our policymakers so they know what stories we all bring to the table. #CAEdChat
We must continue to be open to listening, inviting a diversity of thinking & ideas, and seeing the need for ongoing iteration & improvement at all levels. We now have a new Governor, State Sup, and will see changes in SBE. We have to learn to see & amplify bright spots. #caedchat
Thank you to everyone who joined the chat tonight. You are what makes #caedchat great!
Be sure to follow some new educators from the chat tonight to help grow your PLN!
