Thank you, Jon Quam & STOYS

2014 State Teachers of the Year at Next Steps in NJ

Our life's landscape is

Molded

Shaped

Formed

As people enter and leave.

If we look with a special lens

We see God's hand at work

in the landscape of our life

In the entry that fills

 And departure that empties.

 We only need to

Open our eyes

Ears

Hearts

And see miracles

That we did not know existed

Brought forth by

Those we meet

Not content to leave us as we are

But beckoning us to fall forward

To move ahead

Nudging us to go 

Stronger

With purpose

Into our next steps

To another part of life's landscape

Those

Who inspire

Who shape our paths

Who when they leave

Make us more than what we were...

Points of Pride: Council Bluffs - Patron Tour

Education is an adventure in human relationships.  -Gerald W. Kirn

Council Bluffs Superintendent Dr. Martha Buckner and Bloomer Principal Mr. Casey Moran

The mission of the Council Bluffs Community School District is to guarantee that every student graduates with the knowledge, skills and character to become a responsible citizen and to succeed in a changing world by creating a leading-edge, inclusive educational system which provides challenging expectations, diverse experiences, engaging curriculum and innovative teaching within a collaborative, caring community.

District Demographics:  

Enrollment - About 9000  

Free and Reduced Lunch - slightly under 70%

127 teachers in leadership positions

Bloomer Elementary School Demographics:

Free and Reduced Lunch - 88% with a growing ELL population

Kirn Middle School Demographics:
Approximately 1000 students in grades 6-8
Principal Dr. Melissa Byington

Patron Tour - a concept I was unfamiliar with until visiting  Council Bluffs District.  What a great way to engage the community and inform them of classroom instruction!  Those who attended observed classroom instruction followed by reflection in the hallway by Principal Moran and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Corey Vorthmann.  This reflection allowed for the public to understand the seamless infusion of the Iowa Core standards within classroom instruction which the community overwhelmingly supports.  What a great professional learning opportunity for all stakeholders!  It is one thing to read the standards but entirely another to see it put into action.  The rigor and relevance in the classroom is evident as students are led to be critical thinkers.  Metacognition is key as students discuss the "how" about what they are learning while  developing problem-solving strategies that best meet their learning styles.   

The purpose of instruction in the Council Bluffs School District is to engage students in rich and meaningful ways focused around the Iowa Core which is evident to all who observe classroom instruction found at Bloomer and Kirn schools in this district.  In order to meet the learning needs of all students, small group instruction and individual assistance is provided.  Reading Recovery provides a 12- 20 week program for students to receive reading assistance and successfully transition back into the classroom.  All teaching is adjusted around standards and expectations with strong communication between the general education classroom and those providing assistance to the struggling student.  Instructional coaches and teaching teams use a data wall to track progress, stay student focused, and assure no one is lost in the learning process.

    A visit to Kirn Middle School was a lesson in differentiation as we visited two math classes teaching the same lesson but in two different ways based on the instructional needs of its students.



A visit to an ELA class showed the role technology plays in student engagement.  Using Google Docs, a new world of technology response work is opened for collaboration and reflections on learning.  The world becomes a classroom through instant access via the internet.  Intervention time is provided at the middle school where comprehensive literacy by Linda Dorn is used.  The staff is focused on what works best for adolescent learners and works collaboratively to identify what signifies proficiency on assessments. 

The Patron Tour concluded with a panel discussion consisting of two instructional coaches and myself.  The audience was teacher leaders from across the district.  The welcoming atmosphere and culture of collaboration has been made strong in Council Bluffs through their Teacher Leadership and Compensation grant. 

Thank you, Council Bluffs, for your willingness to open your doors and allow the community to view the quality education your students are receiving at Bloomer Elementary and Kirn Middle School.  Patron Tour is a format I hope many communities adopt as we move forward in sharing our stories about education today in Iowa schools. 

Points of Pride: Whiting Community School District

Suzanne Bartels and a Cookie bouquet

It was a special joy to visit Whiting Community School District in Whiting, Iowa.  Suzanne Bartels, Title I Reading and Math teacher, graciously spent the afternoon sharing Whiting with me.  One of the quotes found on the wall is "Success is a do-it-yourself project," and this "do-it-yourself" attitude is found in Whiting's community support to provide resources to its district.  Their strong community foundation has provided 1-to-1 laptops, a new math series, and field trips for its students.  Another community connection is found with the cooperative provision of preschool services - Whiting offers a 4-year old program three times a week and a local church provides a 3-year old program.  It's partnerships with the community that helps Whiting prepare students to become productive citizens.




District Demographics:
Enrollment: 195
Free and Reduced Lunch:   47%

Whiting is a Special Place to Be:  In 2005, the Whiting High
School received the United States Department of Education's Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award.  In 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 the Whiting High School was nationally recognized by the U.S. News and World Report as on of "America's Best High School." This designation is bestowed on the top 10% of schools in the nation. Whiting has a wonderful, caring staff who plan instruction that prepares students to be successful.

The vision statement of Whiting Community School District is:  Our vision, in partnership with our families and community, is to prepare students to become productive citizens in today's world by providing a positive educational and social environment with a challenging, diversified curriculum in a community committed to progress.

Character Counts is a program that supports the vision of creating productive citizens.  One time per month middle school and high school students teach elementary students the qualities of a designated character.  The MS/HS students are taught what the character trait means and they, in turn, prepare activities and lessons that make the character trait come alive for elementary students.

Whiting's education atmosphere  includes working in Professional Learning Communities to analyze data, brainstorm interventions to enhance achievement, develop intervention action plans, and participate in continual analysis of the effectiveness of the plan.  Each week school dismisses early on Wednesday to provide for additional collaboration for teachers to work on such initiatives as FAST assessments, the piloting of the VOWAC program (Vowel Oriented Word Attack Course), organizing the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support system (PBIS), analyzing assessment data, and exploring new curriculum.  The high school has a partnership with Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City, providing additional learning opportunities for its high school students.  Education majors perform practicums at Whiting and also provide after school tutoring on a volunteer basis.

Whiting continues to seek ways to offer additional learning opportunities for its students.  The

Video in "the pit" of the library

commitment and dedication of its staff and community will continue to move this district forward as it seeks to provide challenging and diversified curriculum.  Jesse Owens said:  "We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort."  The Whiting School District has the determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort to actualize its vision statement and move its district forward into the 21st Century arena.  It was a joy to be a part of the Whiting School District family for the day!

Points of Pride: Delwood Community School District

Delwood Staff

The Mission Statement for Delwood School is:  "Delwood Community School District strives to meet the individual needs of children in a family atmosphere, promoting positive and creative learning."  A visit to Delwood School in Delmar, Iowa, allows a visitor to see this mission statement come to life.  One of the strengths of Delwood is the family atmosphere for the students but also for the collegial relationships between staff.

DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment:  172 (including preschool)
Free and Reduced Lunch:  38%
Teaching Staff:  15

When asked what their Points of Pride for Delwood School are, the staff agrees on the following qualities:

• Ability to give individual attention to students because they have multiple teachers to help;
• Flexible grouping allows for students to move across grade level based upon their learning needs;
• Instruction is fluid from class to class.

The major overall strength of Delwood is the culture of collaboration.  There is a good mix of age groups on the staff which allows for wide-range sharing of talents and expertise.   When meeting in their groups, learning teams bring in formative assessments and conversations are focused on student  achievement.  Every teacher sees all Delwood students as his or her "kids" and strives to meet the learning needs of all students.


Technology is a plus with each grade K-6 possessing at least 10 iPads, 5-6 desktop units, and a Smartboard.   The sixth grade has one-to-one Chromebooks and utilize discovery learning concepts.

The Delwood community is proud of their school.  This year the Delmar Lions Club has donated $500 to spend on the students.  The Lions Club also sponsors a vision screening program that helps students who need them receive glasses.

The supportive School Board does whatever it can to provide for the needs of the school and staff.

Delwood has a strong preschool program and with the implementation of Visual Phonics they are seeing great growth in letter recognition.  Delwood  also provides a wrap around child care program with child care provided before and after school from 7:00 A.M. until 5:30 P.M.  The price to parents is set by a sliding scale. 

Many former students return to Delwood through a high school service learning program.  They are proud to return to their district and want to give back just as they were given to during their time in the district.  A family atmosphere promoting positive  and creative learning - that's Delwood School.

Points of Pride: North Scott School District

Remodeling at Ed White Elementary

When a person walks into Ed White Elementary, it is easy to notice the remodeling that is taking place.  In today's schools, not only are we physically remodeling, but we are instructionally remodeling.  North School School District is one district like so many in Iowa that are continually striving to improve practices, "remodeling" the delivery of instruction for our students.

DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment:  3200
Free and Reduced Lunch:  25-30%
Staff:  200 with 5 elementary schools, 1 junior high, and 1 high school

Joe Stutting, superintendent, and Sue Kane, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, proudly highlighted the North Scott Community School District Points of Pride. There are clear expectations for everyone in the North Scott Schools - students come first, teamwork is key, and customer service is valued.  Mr. Stutting focused on initiatives at the High School:  the School to Work initiative with a home construction program; Project Lead the Way in grades 7-12;  and the offering of dual credit courses.  When it comes to curriculum writing, the focus continues to be aligning Iowa Core standards within district curriculum.  The good news is North Scott District is off the watch list for reading and moving forward with its implementation of Partnership in Comprehensive Literacy, done in collaboration with the University of Northern Iowa. According to the UNI College of Education website, the PCL emphasizes several key points:

• Continuous development of teacher expertise through ongoing intensive professional development;
• Continuous collaboration between teachers, and between teachers and administrators;
• A systems approach that integrates assessment, teaching, and learning across all grades and units within a school.
• A powerful Response-To-Intervention (RTI) approach called the Comprehensive Intervention Model (CIM)
• Literacy coaching as a key leadership position to guide, facilitate, monitor, and improve the school change process.

Ed White Elementary

One district school where the Partnership in Comprehensive
Literacy (PCL) has been very successful is Ed White Elementary.  Instructional coach Laura Jacobsen is one who assists all teachers in the delivery of PCL. Interventionists provide explicit instruction directly aligned to classroom instruction to those students who are struggling. 

A data wall is used to track student progress at each grade level in reading.  Each card is a visual reminder of where a student currently is in reading based on assessment - below, approaching, proficient, and exceeding. Teaching teams look at the data wall and ask, "How do we design instruction to move a student forward?"  Common planning time allows for collaboration and discussion on instruction, assessment, and content.

Margaret Mead said, "We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet." North Scott School District is a great example of preparing students for a future that is unknown but filled with opportunities to grow and learn.

Ed White Principal Joe Langenhan, Assistant Principal Bernadette Brustkern, and Superintendent Joe Stutting

                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                                       

Points of Pride: Bellevue Community School District

Mr. Meyer and Mr. Recker

"A passion to achieve excellence" is a motto of the Bellevue Community School District, and a visitor to this school district can see this motto in action when one looks at their classroom expectations for ALL:

• Focus on student engagement
• Big idea/essential question posted
• Writing - EVERY day, EVERY class, EVERY teacher, EVERY student
• Checks for understanding
• Relevance to the students - all ages and grade levels
• Professionalism  

A quick view of the display cases boast success not only in sports but also academics. BELIEVE in the BLUE is proclaimed throughout the MS/HS building.  Superintendent Tom Meyers exudes a  passion to achieve excellence as he talks about where Bellevue School District has been and where it is headed.

DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment:  625 students
Free and Reduced Lunch:  less than 20%
Staff:  48 full time

Mr. Meyer has been in the district for 11 years with this his first year as superintendent.  His initiatives for the district?  Problem-solving and critical thinking.  This year the District Leadership Team will focus on determining the goals of the district and marketing the schools.  Technology in Bellevue is seen as an enhancement to education and not a replacement with a 1-to-1 initiative in grades 5-12. Students are required to take at least one online class before they graduate.  Those not proficient on MAP and Iowa Assessments are assigned to Plato, an online learning environment.  Through this program they have seen major improvements in math.

Middle School/High School Principal is Jeff Recker.  One of the most popular classes at Bellevue is offered  during grade 11 called Real Life Class which includes home and car repair, cooking and health, and financial literacy.  Industrial Tech classes include robotics, CAD, STEM, and a soon to be used plasma cutter.  Graduates from Bellevue High School average 25 hours of college credit.  This spring, 9th graders at BHS can enjoy problem-based learning during a "Comet Term" after first semester.


Bellevue Elementary Principal, Jeanetter Hartung-Schroeder, explains that hers is the oldest school
building in the state.  In 1848 it served as the Jackson County Courthouse and now houses preschool through grade 5.  Initiatives include ST math and Everyday Math, both resulting in high scores by students.  "Learning by doing" is a theme put into practice in each classroom.  The school offers an after school program originally funded by a 21st Century Grant but now it is parent funded.  The first hour offers homework help and the second hour includes a variety of "doing" including bowling, conservation awareness, and harvest time activities.


All involved in education across Iowa can always use the following reminder found on Bellevue's chart describing its graduates:  "The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of school."  Best of luck, Bellevue, in your passion to achieve excellence!

Points of Pride: Midland Community School District

According to Dan Wendler, elementary principal, and Carol Reilley, secondary principal, "One of the points of pride in the Midland Community School District is the willingness of staff not just to put a toe in the water but their willingness to dive fully into the sea of change."  If you travel to the Midland Schools in Wyoming and Oxford Junction, Iowa, you will see in reality what this means.

District:  550 students
Free and Reduced lunch:  over 60%
Elementary enrollment:  250  (Located in Oxford Junction, IA)
MS/HS enrollment:  300  (Located in Wyoming, IA)
Staff:  40

The focus of the Midland District is instructional work.  After completing a root cause analysis, the result was a need to further develop consistent instructional practices and understand the "why" behind instruction.  They are committed to developing the foundational understanding as well as a deeper understanding of instruction.  With the help of Grant Wood AEA and consultants in literacy, math, and special education, standards-based instruction and grading are taking a foothold in both the elementary and MS/HS buildings.  In today's education world, collaboration is key, and Midland has partnered with Solon in the past two years to gain information on standards-based curriculum. In the Midland School District, every Wednesday they have a two hour early release.  During Professional Learning Community time, three sessions per month are dedicated to grade level meetings with one session per month dedicated to vertical professional learning in subject areas.  Midland also has a strong partnership with Jones Regional Academy located in Monticello and working in partnership with Kirkwood Community College.

Library at Midland School in OJ

Assessments in the elementary building include FAST (Formative Assessment System for Teachers) and DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) as well as a focus on responsibility,
respect, and caring through their PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program.  In the elementary, monthly awards are given based on positive behaviors.  In the high school and middle school, the quarterly PBIS activity is the drawing of prizes based on the earning of tickets for positive behaviors.  Students have an end-of-year auction to look forward to in the spring.  Another initiative in the middle school/high school is the development of mentor-mentee relationships between the two levels.  These relationships emphasize team building, respect building, and positive relationships between upper classmen and younger students.

Parnership with the Community

FFA is strong in Midland

A point of pride in Wyoming is the Paul Petersen Fitness Center with the motto of - Building a Stronger Midland Community.  Paul Petersen was a Midland student who passed away and his family wanted to create a legacy for him within the school and the community.  Membership costs $35/month for a family.  Weightlifting is also offered in the building for PE classes.  The partnership between the fitness center, the school district, and the community is strong.

According to George Elliot, "Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together."  The Midland community can be proud of how its school district through collaboration of its leaders has taken steps towards providing enhanced
quality instruction to the youth of their area.