Lego Your Ego

I read an excerpt of a resignation letter from a local coach earlier this week.  That letter referenced a decision that required the coach to set ego aside. I began thinking about this statement “set ego aside” and what it meant for leadership in education.

Setting ego aside is not an easy task, and often requires us as leaders to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors.  Why is it hard to follow in those footsteps you ask?  Leaders have an intense desire, all of us, to leave our mark on education.  Our experiences, content knowledge, and desire to serve others, along with our internal drive, push us to lead.  

It is often thought, and mistakenly applied, that the ONLY way to leave our mark on a district or building is to do something NEW.  But contrary to that instinctual desire, a true leader has the courage to come in to a district, building, or classroom and continue to do the things that were already in place and WORKING! Even though the systems and structures may not be “your idea”, laser like focus on what works is the key to successful leadership.  

Set ego aside means the work is not about BEING right.  It is is about DOING what is right.  Doing with is right is always harder.  But leaders are designed and trained to do what is right whether it is popular or not.  Doing what is right is for all those around us, but never for us alone.  

Setting aside your ego in leadership also means that you have the courage and the patience to listen to and learn from those entrenched in the system.  Listening and understanding the emotions tied to each message takes time.  As we know, we often sacrifice time when we listen to our egos.   If you equip yourself with the skills to listen to others, and then balance it with the knowledge to adjust and refine as necessary, you will leave a mark worth appreciating.   

Are you focused on the right work, for the right reasons?  Are you strong enough as a leader to sustain the work of someone else, building upon the successes already in hand?  Are you leading to sustain and improve outcomes or are you leading to make a name for yourself?  Consider your motives when deciding what your leadership focus will entail.  

Be prepared to “Lego your Ego”.

Sincerely,

Danielle Prohaska, Superintendent

Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools

Keep the Rally Rolling

We know in eduction, in parenting, and in life that important messages may be repeated 10-12 times before their are really heard by others. This blog is similar to a call for action earlier in the year, but the importance of this topic reguires a persistent message. Just like telling my 7 year old son Brennan to throw away his wrappers, I anticiapte "nagging" on this topic until Ohio Superintendent's sit alongside our State Board of Education and legislators to discuss education policy.

On Tuesday November 15, 2016, over 200 superintendents, board members, and administration gathered on the south lawn of the Statehouse.  This collective group was not there in protest, spending their time to Blame, Complain, or Defend.  We were present physically and emotionally as a sign of support, pledging our time and collective knowledge to bridge the gap between education policy and its impact on the students and communities in Ohio.  Our voice was one of support, collaboration, and commitment to finding solutions that embody what is best for the students in Ohio.  

5 superintendents from around the state spoke about 3 areas in which we have agreed need our attention and support.  These areas are:

1. The graduation cliff looming for current juniors around the state as a result of the newly set graduation points on end of course exams.  Though Mechanicsburg numbers are much lower (less than 10% deemed at risk for not meeting graduation points next year), at risk numbers around the state are staggering.   
2. The ever changing and expanding accountability system in Ohio.  Ohio superintendents welcome accountability and high standards for their districts.  We are asking for measures that illustrate the successes and growth areas of their districts.  However, the current system does not provide us that desired information.  
3. Over assessing our students,administering more state level assessments to Ohio students than required by ESSA.  Again, Ohio superintendents are not asking to eliminate measures of student learning.  We need and use standardized data, allowing us to benchmark our progress across the state and adjust to support student learning as needed.  However, we don’t need to test every student every year to analyze data and make adjustments that support student growth and achievement.    

This rally, a gathering of collective support, is just the beginning.  For substantive change to take effect, we must come together and remain in action as a unit of dedicated district officials.  In addition, the need to be at the table must be heard by our legislators and state board of education officials.  This is where our work really begins.  The rally is the starting point of our efforts to reach out to those charged with enacting legislation and policy.  We all must step up and contact our local legislators and state board of education representatives.  Offer them our support in discussing educational policy before it is enacted.  Pledge to be a part of the solution and a collaborative partner in the legislative process.  Commit to working proactively, with purposeful responses to guarantee the outcomes our state deserves.  

Thank you for caring so passionately about the education of our students in Ohio and for using that emotion to foster positive responses and solution minded partnerships across the state!

If you live in Champaign County, you can contact the following people to show your support for the involvement of district leadership in closing the education policy gap.  

Governor John Kasich

(614) 466-3555

joe.andrews@governor.ohio.gov (Press Secretary)

josie.barga@governor.ohio.gov

Keith Faber, President of the Ohio Senate

(614) 466-7584

faber@ohiosenate.gov

Andrew Brenner, House Chair of Education

(614) 644-6711

andrew.brenner@ohiohouse.gov

Cliff Rosenberger, Speaker of the House

(614) 466-3506

rep91@ohiohouse.gov

Keith Faber, District 12

(614) 466-7584

faber@ohiosenate.gov

A. Nino Vitale, House Representative District 85

(614) 466-1507

nino.vitale@ohiohouse.gov

Tom Gunlock, Appointed President of Ohio Board of Education

(937) 291-6318

tom.Gunlock@education.ohio.gov

Paolo De Maria, Superintendent of Public Instruction

(877) 644-6338

superintendent@eeducation.ohio.gov

Ann E. Jacobs, Lima District 1 School Board Rep.

(419) 229-9800

Ann.Jacobs@education.ohio.gov

From around the state, access your state board of education representative at http://education.ohio.gov/State-Board/State-Board-Members ; State Senators at http://www.senate.state.oh.us/index# ; and House Representatives at http://www.ohiohouse.gov/

Your Partner in Education,

Danielle Prohaska, Superintendent

Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools

A Call to Action - The state of education in Ohio

During the season when many districts are preparing and delivering their “State of the Schools Address”, we must talk about the state of education in Ohio.  There is research from leading educators like Douglas Reeves that urges leaders to find their focus, concentrating on just a few priorities.  Within that focus, leaders must put aside the elements they cannot control (like poverty, ethnicity, home environment, etc.) and commit to the responses that are within their control.  Tim Kight and the R Factor illustrate what it means to have above the line responses.  With that being said, Mechanicsburg has taken the position that we would not belabor the things that come from ODE and the legislature that were outside our control.  We would take the new requirements/changes in practice, figure out how they fit in our system of teaching and learning, and continue to do what is best for kids.  

However, we have a unique opportunity in front of us now with the authorization on Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  As educational leaders and advocates, we have the chance to make our voices heard around several key issues - assessment, accountability, and teacher evaluation.  If we want Ohio to take advantage of the local control given to states in ESSA, we must communicate that need to those making policy.  We must do so early, often, and in detail.  

• It is time for Ohio to go back to the federal minimums required in assessment.  Allow districts to continue to use their internal measures for growth and achievement and assess students/grades/subjects across the state only at the required grades in ESSA.  Urge legislators to listen and act, as our juniors and seniors over the next two years are facing a grave graduation situation.  
• It is time to have an accountability system that is stable and allows for apples to apples comparisons of data from year to year.   Districts want accountability, but in saying that, our students deserve an accountability system that ACTUALLY produces adjustments in instruction aimed at increasing growth and achievement.  
• It is time to embrace teacher evaluation  as a crucial piece of feedback for growth, taking away student growth requirements that make teacher evaluation more about a high stakes gotcha than feedback that improves practice.  Administrators and teachers are having powerful conversations around the teacher performance side of the evaluation tool.  Let’s put our focus where it is making a difference.  

If we want education to align to the educational model we know produces higher levels of student growth and achievement, we must seize the moment.  Our students, our teachers, and our communities need there to be action!  

The list below contains all the necessary contact information for the those that represent Champaign County and/or Ohio’s important political offices.  Share your talking points with these individuals and let our voices be heard for the sake of the students and communities we serve.  

Sincerely,

Danielle Prohaska, Superintendent of Schools

Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools

Contact information:

Governor John Kasich

(614) 466-3555

joe.andrews@governor.ohio.gov (Press Secretary)

josie.barga@governor.ohio.gov

Keith Faber, President of the Ohio Senate

(614) 466-7584

faber@ohiosenate.gov

Andrew Brenner, House Chair of Education

(614) 644-6711

andrew.brenner@ohiohouse.gov

Cliff Rosenberger, Speaker of the House

(614) 466-3506

rep91@ohiohouse.gov

Keith Faber, District 12

(614) 466-7584

faber@ohiosenate.gov

A. Nino Vitale, House Representative District 85

(614) 466-1507

nino.vitale@ohiohouse.gov

Tom Gunlock, Appointed President of Ohio Board of Education

(937) 291-6318

tom.Gunlock@education.ohio.gov

Paolo De Maria, Superintendent of Public Instruction

(877) 644-6338

superintendent@eeducation.ohio.gov

Ann E. Jacobs, Lima District 1 School Board Rep.

(419) 229-9800

Ann.Jacobs@education.ohio.gov

Press Release - District Report Card

In an effort to communicate on multiple fronts, I have included the press release related to our state issued report card below. With the authorization of ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) at the federal level, we have an opportunity to refocus and create a stable and equitable assessment and accountability system in the state of Ohio. It is time for communities, district and building leaders, and boards of education to voice their concerns and bring solutions to the table. The staggering number of Ds and Fs across the state are not indicative of our education system. Students and teachers have not declined at such a rapid rate. Don't let this moment for change pass us by in Ohio. Make your voice heard!

The 2015-16 State Report Card should be released at some point today and will be covered by multiple media outlets over the next week or so. This year’s report card contains numerous changes including overall component grades for report card sections.  The 2015-16 report card results are generated from a new assessment system, which is the 3rd assessment system in three years.  What you may notice is that our ratings have declined in some areas.  To an extent, this was to be expected with so much change in the measurement system for us and districts across the state.    

The new assessment system is built on more rigorous standards and increased performance targets for students.  The accountability elements of the report card will challenge districts to meet those high standards for student growth and achievement.  However, adjustments to these higher standards will not happen overnight and reduced scores are more the norm than an anomaly throughout the state.  Though the state issued report card is an important part of the data we use to inform instruction, it is only one of the many measures that matter.  

Regardless of any changes to the state’s accountability measures, we are prepared to use this data to reflect on student instruction and implement instructional practices that will best meet the needs of all our students.  As we analyze what we know about students from a variety of measures, it is evident that students in Mechanicsburg Schools continue to grow as well rounded students.  We continue to have strong teachers, capable students, and a supportive community.  

In the meantime, our district leaders, alongside administrators from across the state, will persist in advocating for a more consistent accountability system.  This stability is necessary to allow our teachers and administrators to do what they do best for students day in and day out.  

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at prohaskad@mcburg.org or Mary J Huffman at huffmanm@mcburg.org should you want to discuss the report card further.  

Sincerely,

Danielle Prohaska, Superintendent

Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools

2016.17 Opening Day Message

Welcome to the 2016.17 school year.  

Myself and some of the administrative team in Mechanicsburg have previewed the concept of Event + Response = Outcomes, that is best known from Urban Meyer’s book Above the Line. For those of you that know me, even a Michigan fan can appreciate a book that references the buckeyes.   

The E+R=O process begins with the 20 square feet of the organization’s culture and strategy that each of us owns.  Within this 20 square feet, you choose how you will think, interact, and behave in order to prioritize the learning of students.  These responses place us either above the line or below the line.  But wherever we choose to fall, our responses do have an impact on our students, our grade level team or our department, our own professional development, our building and ultimately the district at large.  This is both a powerful and scary notion.

What our team wants to stress throughout the year, is that when you feel the weight of that 20 square feet, you are still in the driver’s seat and we are here to lift you up.  Through our use of formative assessments, strategies for instruction, intervention and extension, knowledge of content standards, experience with state assessments, and collaboration with our TBTs and BLTs, we will determine the outcomes for our students.  Our above the line responses to events such as less than desirable state assessments results, online testing, etc, do have the largest impact on what happens in classrooms, buildings, and across the district.  This impact is even bigger than our students home environment and socioeconomic status.  

As we move through the school year, we will begin with a deep dive into our district, building, and student data.  It won’t take long to see that our data includes strengths, patterns and trends, and most importantly opportunities for adult action.  Remember that “great moments are born from great opportunity”.  All these events and ultimately our responses are crucial to where we must end up at the end of the 2016.17 school year......higher student growth and achievement outcomes.  

To define this year and our conscious efforts to manage our responses, the hashtag #LeadLikeaLifeguard seems most appropriate.  Dr. Reeves, a leading researcher and author, challenges educators to think about themselves as lifeguards.  Lifeguards have just a handful of priorities that they must remain focused on.  Like lifeguards, we are faced with many distractions and much is at stake if we don’t keep focused on those priorities.  All of us must commit to leading like a lifeguard in our classrooms, departments, and buildings.  

I know the work is hard, the reflection on adult strategies is often emotional, but most importantly, I know your commitment to leading like a lifeguard will be genuine and heartfelt.  Thank you for your service to our students and community.  I wish all of you a wonderful school year.  On behalf of myself, the board of education, and the administrative team, welcome back.  

Is summer over already?

Welcome back to 2016.17

As Mid- August approaches you must be asking yourselves “Is summer over already?”.  Though the county fair and a few weeks of summer vacation remain, the start of the 2016.17 school year is just around the corner.  Whether you stayed local, traveled, or worked this summer, I hope you as educators have been able to spend quality time with family and friends.  I have spent the majority of my weekends and evenings at the ballpark, enjoying great baseball and softball with Alden, Avery and Brennan.  Their adventures and antics translate into family memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything.  Great times with family and friends will help all of us find purpose as we reflect and plan for the work we will do for students when we return in August.  That work is important, challenging, and ever changing!

As I write this post, schools all across the state and nation pour over student data from last year.  Test data is just one piece of information that we use to inform our purpose.  Though the data may not be as strong as we are accustomed to,  it is crucial to remember that this “event” and our response to the data will determine our outcomes.  This is called the R Factor: E + R = O.  We must take the time and invest the energy to guarantee the outcomes our students and community deserve.  After all, our #1 goal is  Prioritizing the learning of ALL students.  As a district, our “above the line” responses will impact student achievement and growth.  

As an administrative team and in many buildings, we will be talking about Above the Line by Urban Meyer and discussing its implications for our organization. There will be more entries to follow, that is for sure! Good luck to those opening school and let it be another great year.

Halfway Where?

Halfway Where?

There are so many life experiences to choose from as I look for a personal connection in this edition of my superintendent’s blog. After setting aside my vanity :), I’ve decided to go for it and share with you my 40th birthday as the personal connection to what is going on in our educational lives. At the time that this blog will be published, I will have just celebrated my 40th birthday.  I could look at this moment as a signal that “it’s all downhill from here” or I could look at my 40th birthday as an opportunity.  

It is the opportunity to think about what is really working in my life and make an effort to continue those practices, Family, Faith, and Friends.  It is also the time to think about the things that have happened in those first 40 years that could have gone better and devise a specific plan to remedy those items on the list.

As I share with you my personal connection, we are at the halfway point to the 2015-2016 school year.   We have just received our 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee Fall administration scores, completed winter benchmarking using NWEA MAP, ended the 2nd quarter, and awarded high school class credit for block classes.  

This marks a time when we as educators should look at what  we are currently doing to benefit students and maintain the pace to keep those great practices moving forward.  But at this halfway point, we also have the opportunity for reflection.  We should be reflecting on the data with the sincere belief that we have the time and the skills to improve upon the results.  We must rely on our teams, colleagues, and support staff to generate ideas, share the workload, and foster the energy needed for the work ahead.  I believe we have the good fortune, with half the school year still in front of us, to make an impact on the academic achievement and growth of students.  

It’s sometimes hard to seize this moment, as we tend to get stuck on the things that aren’t working.  It is hard to believe in ourselves and know that significant growth can still take place.   But think back,  we have been here before and we have done TREMENDOUS things.  As educators we have to extend ourselves some grace, erase the missteps, and believe that what we do from here on out CAN and WILL make a difference like it has in the recent past.  Our team of staff, parents, and students can accomplish amazing things.

Take what you currently know about your students in stride, adjust your adult practices intentionally, and make the impact our students and community deserve.  I believe in our students and I believe in all of you!

Sincerely,

Danielle Prohaska, Superintendent of Schools