school board members

In this episode, Tudor speaks with Emily Hanford, senior education correspondent at American Public Media, about the challenges in teaching children to read. Hanford discusses the ineffective strategies being used in schools, the historical debate over phonics instruction, and the complexity of the English language. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the science of reading and the need for better teacher training. Hanford also touches on the Matthew effect, legislative actions to improve reading instruction, and the role of politics in education. The Tudor Dixon Podcast is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. For more information visit TudorDixonPodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Tudor speaks with Emily Hanford, senior education correspondent at American Public Media, about the challenges in teaching children to read. Hanford discusses the ineffective strategies being used in schools, the historical debate over phonics instruction, and the complexity of the English language. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the science of reading and the need for better teacher training. Hanford also touches on the Matthew effect, legislative actions to improve reading instruction, and the role of politics in education. The Tudor Dixon Podcast is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. For more information visit TudorDixonPodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert McCann is the Executive Director of The K-12 Alliance of Michigan, which strives to be the statewide leader in education policy and advocacy to ensure every child in Michigan has equitable access to a quality education and the opportunity to succeed both in and outside of the classroom. Currently the organization represents districts in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, and St. Clair Counties, and is continuing conversation with other areas for potential partnerships and further expansion.

Responding to the challenges of the current school year Mr. McCann urged the school community as a whole, to focus solely on the best way to provide students a ‘normal’ school experience, laying aside the politics surrounding those discussions. From his viewpoint, “utilizing the guidance and directives of public health experts is essential for schools to offer in-person learning, keeping students in school where they learn best. Additionally if there is an outbreak, schools need the flexibility to shut school down for a period and continue offering learning remotely and third, schools need to have long term policies in place to support student recovery.”

Mr. McCann reflected on the impact of the uneven experiences students have had due to the pandemic, and how schools can best move forward.  “As we bring them back to classrooms this fall we know it's not just about focusing on where they are academically, but where they are socially and emotionally in their own recovery process that's ultimately going to dictate how we can best help them get back on paths towards academic success. Schools play a unique role not just in academics, but in these students' lives and in their ability to overcome whatever obstacles they're facing at home, whatever obstacles they're facing in their social circles. That schools give them that support that they need to succeed overall in their growth is so critical to getting them back on that path to success going forward.”

Mr. McCann lauded the increased “funding from the federal stimulus packages, enabling districts to provide students a number of opportunities which they wouldn’t otherwise have, for the next two or three years. With the stimulus funding for programs we are looking at what wraparound services schools  provide to address those unique needs of any individual student, as a model to demonstrate what normal could look like if we were funding schools properly in the first place.”

“It's about taking those services: getting reading coaches into younger kids' classrooms; getting tutors into school buildings; getting social workers into school buildings to help with those needs; and providing all of those wraparound services as the best chance we have to not only help these students that have been struggling over the last year and a half, but meet those unique needs of every student instead of just saying all students are the same and here's a funding plan that fits that.”

Mr. McCann noted, “if we can redefine what normal is over the next couple of years and then advocate for the funding to meet that normal, then I think we'll have done the best job we can to give these students the best opportunities possible going forward. The Alliance wants to show that if the state of Michigan were to make the type of investment that those federal stimulus dollars are making on an ongoing basis, the good we could be doing for students for generations to come. We are going to show what some of these programs look like over the next few years that could be invested in perpetually by the state. We're going to say this is exactly what we could be doing if the state adopted an SFRC (School Finance Research Collaborative) based formula.”

In terms of funding for programs, Mr. McCann is a strong proponent of the School Finance Research Collaborative recommendations. He pointed out the disparity between the current state funding formula, with its one size fits all, and the SFRC recommendation that provides funds based on the unique needs of the students in schools and districts, explaining that “it's treating every student as the same when we know that's not the case. What that means is that we are under-funding every student and not doing even the most minimal effort to meet the unique needs that many students have; these are special education students, English language learners, people that need extra reading help. We're not funding those programs correctly, so when schools implement those programs because they're necessary, that means we're ultimately pulling funding from every student, which under serves the entire student population of Michigan.”

Mr. McCann also commented on the state of the teaching profession in Michigan, which has been “impacted by chronic under funding of schools, a lag in pay, to not enough teachers being in classrooms, overcrowded classrooms, to not funding classrooms properly, as well as increasing the responsibilities of educators, as evidenced by decisions made by school officials who aren’t public health experts, about the conditions for students to return to school.” In response to the low number of students enrolled in schools of education across the state, and the rate of retirements accelerated by the pandemic, Mr. McCann asserted the need to look holistically as a state to address the status of the teaching profession. “The more we can be doing to say that Michigan is a state that is willing to invest in public education, that is willing to invest in the profession of educating students again, that's what's ultimately going to start this process of encouraging young students in high school and going into college to say that's the profession I want to get into again.”

Looking ahead, Mr. McCann advised, “the best thing we can be doing as a school community right now is highlight the good work that we're doing as students benefit from the new supports that are available: instituting new reading programs, tutoring programs, social programs to help students' emotional recovery. Let's highlight the success that some of these students are going to be having this year: recovering from the pandemic, getting caught back up to grade level, getting reintegrated in with social programs and having school dances again and just even some of those most basic of things, to remind people the integral role that schools ultimately play within their communities, because we need to be doing that, right now.”

In the short term, Mr. McCann insisted “the state and local health departments need to be stepping up and making and giving very clear direction to schools of what they need to be doing inside the classrooms, inside the school buildings to keep kids safe.”

In the longer term, Mr. McCann is adamant about showcasing the benefits to students of programs derived from the stimulus funding or risk losing the gains that will be made over the next two years with those additional resources, by returning to an old funding formula. “We need to have lawmakers start looking at how we can start fixing the funding formula again. Next year in the budget process, we are going to be pushing to make some of those significant changes away from the one size fits all formula, to meeting that SFRC based formula. That is going to be critical moving forward, or we’re missing this opportunity that we have in front of us.”

Website    https://www.k12michigan.org

Dr. Bob Maxfield and Dr. Suzanne Klein spoke with Dr. Randy Liepa, Superintendent of Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency (RESA), prior to his announced retirement in June, 2021. Dr. Liepa is well recognized for his leadership on the issue of school funding among Michigan superintendents and intermediate school district colleagues.Prior to his role as Superintendent of Wayne RESA, Dr. Liepa served as both business manager and superintendent for Livonia Public Schools.  As part of Launch Michigan, The Coalition for the Future of Detroit School Children, he worked with the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce; served as President of his local Chamber in Livonia, President of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA), and twice served as Chair of the Galileo Teacher Leadership Consortium Board. 

An important priority during Dr. Liepa’s leadership, both as a local superintendent and at Wayne RESA, has been developing and putting in place processes. While superintendent in Livonia, he created a shared vision that still remains a part of the district Board policies.  That roadmap identified priorities and informed the district budgeting process, the long-term facility plan, and the school improvement plan. It also enabled the district to significantly renovate the school facilities, add innovative programs such as the first Japanese immersion program, offer an International Baccalaureate program, and preserve a variety of programs during an era of budget cuts.“That was all based on having those key components in place; a roadmap, a plan and, if we follow the plan, we're going to continue to provide educational opportunities for students at the highest level.”

Dr. Liepa explained that Wayne RESA is the largest county-wide school organization in Michigan, serving 33 school districts, over 100 public school systems, over 275,000 students, within a very diverse social and economic community. “Having such diverse communities in the county affords the opportunity to continue to learn from each other and our communities, to support our students in our own school districts.”  While at Wayne RESA, Dr. Liepa led the passage and renewal of a regional enhancement millage which brought in more than $300 per student, $75 million per year, for the next 12 years. “The biggest challenge going forward is resource allocation to provide all our school districts with the level of support to be successful, along with trying to coordinate services in the county to be more efficient and doing a better job of getting certain things off a local school district's plate by sharing with each other.”

Dr. Liepa noted some of the lessons learned from the impact of the recent pandemic.  Parents having their children at home led to a whole new appreciation of the importance of school in society and its role in regards to “just being good human beings”.  Many have also realized the importance of students working directly with the teacher, with their peers, and having that experience in a school. The pandemic also clearly revealed inequity of resources, the digital divide as well as the differences in support students have at home. Here Dr. Liepa pointed to the work of the School Finance Research Collaborative (SFRC) which “produced a roadmap on how to meet the needs of students and what we want schools to look like for all students.”  The 2018 SFRC study recommended a state funding formula which included both a foundation grant and additional dollar amounts needed to educate special education students, at-risk learners, and English language learners. There is also provision in the formula for school counselors, social work support, reading specialists and other teachers to support student learning needs. 

As leaders address these more visible educational inequities going forward, Dr. Liepa sees an opportunity to implement changes in funding policies. “…with the federal dollars coming in, it's a chance for school districts to do some transformational things; some once in a generation opportunity for some of these school districts to be able to do some catch up that is long overdue and much needed. There is a challenge in the messaging about the federal dollars, but also an opportunity to plan to implement a new finance system.”

The new superintendent will find important initiatives in place at Wayne RESA. “As a school leader I always felt that if I hired good people and provided them the resources that they needed to be successful, and had a good plan in place we would do great things…We started a literacy initiative about three years ago with our local school districts and have a very detailed plan to move forward collectively and learn best practices in literacy from each other to make a difference in reading in Wayne County, along with…helping our school districts with… innovation…”

When asked about recruiting and preparing educators for future leadership roles, Dr. Liepa acknowledged the challenges in the current environment and within the public sector. Leadership training, counseling and mentoring, both prior to being in the job and on the job, can build a supportive network for advice and resources needed to make difficult decisions. His advice to a new superintendent would be focus on building relationships. “It all starts there… focus on having that core foundation of relationships with people, so there's trust, two-way trust going, and then start building a foundation as it relates to your plans. Never forget the power in synergy. You don't have to be the smartest person in the room; you've got smart people around you.  Always be humble, be a good listener and use the synergy of others as you're building those relationships and those foundations of success.”

https://www.fundmischools.org/

FACT SHEET:

Dr. Bob Maxfield and Dr. Suzanne Klein welcomed Dr. Carmen Kennedy-Rogers, Senior Program Officer of K-12 Education for the Skillman Foundation.  https://www.skillman.org

Dr. Kennedy-Rogers reflected on her leadership journey, the challenges facing school leaders during the pandemic, and vision for the post-pandemic reset.  Dr. Kennedy-Rogers’ leadership experiences and expertise, her identity as a fierce champion of Detroit children embracing the values of the Skillman Foundation, and her mission to support systems change converge in asking educational leaders, What would it take to transform a school community to a place where wellness and academic achievement are always used in the same sentence? When re-imagining a school system that provides equitable opportunities for all students, what would it take? 

Dr. Carmen Kennedy-Rogers’s expertise reflects a rich and impactful leadership journey: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in Avondale Schools, principal at South Lake High School, high school assistant principal and athletic director at Grosse Pointe North High School, physical education teacher and girls’ basketball coach in the Troy School District. She began her career in the Detroit Public Schools at Oakman Elementary utilizing her minor in adaptive physical education.  Dr. Kennedy-Rogers has also served as an adjunct assistant professor at Madonna University and adjunct faculty at Wayne State University. 

Dr. Kennedy-Rogers proudly spoke of the long-standing work of the Skillman Foundation as a Fierce Champion of Detroit Children and saw this role as an opportunity to “assign herself to working for the children and the families and educators in Detroit right now”.  As we look at a "reset", her hope is that educators will “not be content with returning back to normal. Normal was not equitable and excellent; it was just familiar. Let’s strive towards transforming mindsets, instructional practices, leadership practices, expectations and systems,” Taking her inspiration from Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem, The Hills We Climb,  Dr. Rogers-Kennedy urged leaders to recognize this as an opportunity to dismantle the inequities that permeate our educational systems.

Dr. Kennedy-Rogers credited Dr. Andrea Anderson, Director of Evaluation, Learning and Impact, at Skillman with introducing her to the critical question, What would it take? What would it take to return back face-to-face with minimum stress, in optimum collaborative planning, implementation, monitoring and adjusting along the way to be responsive to so many competing demands? What would it take to transform a school community to a place where wellness and academic achievement are always used in the same sentence? What would it take to ensure wellness is at the center of learning, teaching, serving, and leading? 

To keep moving forward, Dr. Kennedy-Rogers encouraged leaders to practice radical self-care and love, curate and cultivate space for wellness for all staff.   Focus on the wellness of self, staff, students and families, recognize the signs of stress and trauma and be willing to press pause.  “Leaders should think about ‘walking with’ in their decision making to explain the rationale, and make your thinking visible to those who you lead and who you have the opportunity to serve.” 

Another powerful point Dr. Kennedy-Rogers spoke to was respecting student voice in terms of how they are experiencing this pandemic as it is important to acknowledge, adjust, change, transform and dismantle it for them. The pandemic has created the opportunity to amplify student voice as well as how they are experiencing their learning and engagement. 

Dr. Kennedy-Rogers discussed The Water of Systems Change model used by Foundation Strategy Group  https://www.fsg.org  as a framework. Using the six conditions: policies, practices, resource flows, relationships and connections, power dynamics, and mental models is “when systemic change can come about.”  She shared a favorite quote from The Water of Systems Change, "Real and equitable progress requires exceptional attention to the detailed and often mundane work of noticing what is invisible to many." 

Dr. Kennedy-Rogers explained Skillman's Opportunity Agenda for the next three years which has four primary cross cutting themes: mitigate learning loss and disconnection due to the impact of Covid on kids and systems; leverage disruption to re-imagine how schools and supports are provided; amplify and strengthen Collective Impact efforts, specifically to build community, student, and parent power to shape systems; and build awareness, connection, advocacy for the Opportunity Agenda.  Dr. Kennedy-Rogers leads the K-12 strategy of mitigating learning loss and accelerating  advocacy efforts and funding centered on literacy loss, specifically third grade reading. 

“We are working with schools across Detroit, not just one particular system, on culturally responsive education. We are using this time, the racial reckoning that is happening, to really think about what is culturally responsive education, what does it look like, and wall-to-wall transformation.” Dr. Kennedy-Rogers announced Skillman is creating and launching a principal wellness professional learning community, working with educational experts and organizations that have expertise in principal leadership, culturally responsive leadership, and wellness. 

In closing, Dr. Kennedy-Rogers summarized the work of the Skillman Foundation: kids first, equity focused, trusted partner, greater than grants, world wise, Detroit smart. “We have granted nearly $670 million and have assets of approximately $500 million, allowing us to serve children, kids first. We remain focused on equity. We learn from so many different places and people across the world, so we can show up big for Detroit, world wise, Detroit smart. As grant makers and change makers we hold an ambition for children that outweighs what our dollars alone can accomplish, so we're greater than grants. We utilize our change making skills. We are change agents, we assign ourselves. We strive to be a trusted partner in service to the children of Detroit. So, we're always looking to be in good company in developing relationships and keeping the interest of Detroit children first.”