Middletown Public Schools’ Post

We'd like to thank Crain's Detroit Business for publishing this impactful op-ed on Michigan's #education system written by our President and CEO, Ronald E. Hall, and 42 North Partners, LLC founder, Mike Jandernoa. Both are executive committee members on the Business Leaders for Michigan board. Here's a preview of the editorial: "Our K-12 public education system is not doing right by our kids. The crux of this crisis is unfolding in our own backyards. A new analysis comparing #Michigan public school district performance against peer districts in top-performing states shows that nearly every district isn’t keeping up with the competition. From the Upper Peninsula to the southern corners of the state, and from suburbs to rural communities, Michigan students are trailing their peers. Without a strong educational foundation, Michigan will continue to struggle to grow, and our children will lose out on what we all want most for them — opportunity." Continue reading this editorial here: https://shorturl.at/cgyDQ

Turning Around Troubled Schools: A New Chapter Begins Transforming a school's reputation and culture can truly be a monumental task. The journey of Leigh Academy Minster on the Isle of Sheppey is a testament to the power of leadership, community engagement, and unwavering commitment. After a damning Ofsted report and staff walkouts, the school has made substantial progress under new leadership and policies. Strict rules on behaviour and lateness, along with a no make-up policy and the establishment of a long-awaited library, have started to turn the tide. The investment from the Department for Education and the involvement of the Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) have played crucial roles. Staff report a significant improvement in student conduct and overall school environment, proving that clear expectations and consistent boundaries can make a world of difference. Parents like Gemma Dawson and Lloyd Page, who were initially sceptical, are now re-evaluating their stance, impressed by the school's renewed commitment and cleaner environment. Teachers such as Tracy Bradd emphasise that while no system is perfect, the structured approach is making a positive impact. It's clear that rebuilding relationships with the community and setting high standards for students are pivotal to this transformation. What are your thoughts on the importance of school leadership and community trust? https://lnkd.in/e2nGRuCx #Education #SchoolImprovement #CommunityEngagement

It is personal!

Did you see today's #BeyondTransfer piece in Inside Higher Ed? Lindsay Daugherty, Jenna Kramer, Elaine W. Leigh, Ph.D., and Jonah Kushner of RAND share lessons learned when higher education leaders and legislators in Ohio (Nikki Wearly and Holly Hall) came together to simplify the process of earning credit for learning outside the classroom by establishing a standardized, statewide approach. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ekMkgJYf

The Inverted Pyramid: Listening Through the District, One School at a Time! Getty Middle School (Easley, SC)   Enjoyed meeting with teachers and a couple of the members from the Gettys Admin Team!   Our meeting covered five topics: 1. Make It Better - recommendations for improving the district 2. The Strategic Plan - how to achieve our five goals 3. Innovation - what innovative ideas do you have for the school and district 4. The Framework – updates regarding progress on the five year plan for the foundational practices with MTSS/RTI at Work 5. After School Programs   Team 73! #EngagingToday #EmpoweringTomorrow

I believe wholeheartedly in this work! I have been in this work since 2016 in some facet. It has ebbed and flowed over the years and even looked different post-pandemic. Nevertheless, the tools of engagement that we share with our students will always give them the option to restore. This article quotes the work of NC, but more importantly the work of Southwest Guilford High School! #restorativepractices #toolsofengagement #transformativeleader #principallife #educationalleadership https://lnkd.in/erCyWaXY

Literacy Leaders out here leading literacy! 

💫N E W B L O G 💫 from Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz "As we navigate the journey of constructing resilience-oriented schools, we frequently grapple with the challenge of cultivating strong relationships with both struggling students and struggling staff, while also determining effective disciplinary methods that yield desired outcomes. Many schools find themselves on a path leading toward restorative practices and approaches. Our team has been diligently working on a framework that specifically addresses the aforementioned challenges, empowering staff to act as change-makers and undertake the demanding task of serving our most challenging students. Given the prevalent challenging behaviors in our schools, a balance of strong relationships and high accountability becomes imperative." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gm-MwVCc

I've learned (more than) a few things about what school boards should and should not be doing during my Fellowship with Leadership ISD. Here are a few of them: School board races are non-partisan. Full stop. Being conservative or not does not matter for the role of a trustee. School boards are to set goals for the superintendent. The superintendent is to then run the district, make staffing decisions, and allocate funding to programs in order to meet the goals as set by the board. The board is not to get involved in the day-to-day running of a district, such as handling performance reviews of administration or teachers. The board should be handling the performance evaluation of the superintendent in meeting the goals the board has established. One of the key roles of a school board is to approve an annual budget consistent with the district's vision. This requires an in-depth evaluation of the current costs, projected costs, and projected funds incoming through taxes. Bond funds are different but certainly no less important. Boards are not to select or approve curriculum, create programming, or manage the school experience for students or their families. If you want to learn more about what school boards should be doing and how you can evaluate the candidates, see my presentation on YouTube, available at: https://lnkd.in/gnwdv9Je

📽 Have you checked out this video with Dr Vikki Smith from the Education and Training Foundation and me (Gavin O'Meara) on the FE & Skills Collective: Timing and how you can get involved.. and how you can help shape the future of our Skills system! 🗓 The FE + Skills Collective is on the 10th October in Birmingham and is all about equipping our educators and leaders for our future skills system. This is in partnership with ETF and FE News. The event and the report is: Bridging Policy and #Pedagogy: Preparing educators and leaders for a stronger skills system 📺 Check out the video below and we'd love to see you on the 10th Oct and for you to get involved! 😎 The Collectives are very cool... and a very different style of event, the morning is all about 'scene setting' and the afternoon everyone works together in collaborative groups to help shape a report... and that report co-author is Vikki... so check out the video below and we'd love for you to join us! 😕 It is cool that there is literally an announcement per day at the moment on our new skills system, new policies, new language and jargon, new departments to work with... but this could also be confusing! ❔ 💡 So the idea of the event is to equip our educators and leaders and also create a report on how everyone in the skills system (from training providers, to colleges, Awarding Organisations, Lifelong learning providers, Prison / Offender Learning... everyone in FE and Skills) can work with the new Government and new departments now and into the future. https://lnkd.in/eipivhYy #SkillsEngland #FECollective