Bixhorn: LI voted to protect its schools

 Newsday

May 19, 2011 by GARY D. BIXHORN Gary D. Bixhorn is the chief operating officer of Eastern Suffolk BOCES.

Long Islanders have again stared down tough economic conditions and voted to increase their already excessive property tax burden to…

COMMENTARY

Principal Preparation: Moving Beyond Assessment

By Ann Hassenpflug

Increasingly, principal-preparation programs are getting the national scrutiny that has been focused on teacher education for some time.

Today, many principal-training programs run by public and private higher education institutions have been modified to align them with national standards from the Educational Leadership Constituent Council, or ELCC. To receive…

Editorial: 40% for tests adds up right

Originally published: May 17, 2011 6:27 PM

Updated: May 17, 2011 8:15 PM

Newsday

Something shocking happened among New York's custodians of public education on Monday. For a fleeting moment, common sense prevailed.

Under intense pressure from Gov. …

Tilles: Don't grade teachers on test scores

May 16, 2011 by ROGER TILLES /Newsday

Roger Tilles is Long Island's representative on the New York State Board of Regents.

Last summer, legislation based on the federal Race to the Top program was passed in Albany to create an accurate system of evaluating teachers and principals. Yesterday, the question before the Board of Regents was whether the proposed system would actually achieve that goal. I…

In Praise of Principals (in Hard Times)

By Elena Aguilar

TLN

For the last few years, I have worked as a school leadership coach in Oakland, Calif. Primarily, I support principals to develop their capacities—work that gives me a wide-angle view on the daily lives of our public school leaders. I have long recognized that principals’ jobs are challenging, but this year I have seen Oakland’s principals rise to tackle a new array of difficulties. As 2011…

Under the best of times there are those who challenge and question the priorities and decision making of local school districts.  Arriving at a consensus regarding any proposed spending plan is difficult and far from a perfect science.  In many districts including Southold, we have established a long-term strategy of examining spending, maintaining adequate reserves in general, and specifically planning for the future with the establishment of both a capital and repair reserve…

Teaching Secrets: The Last Day of School

It's that time of year again—the last few weeks of school. Many of us work hard at plans to keep students engaged during this time but, at least in my experience, far fewer have a well-considered plan for the last day of school.

This final day together can be an important time for both the students and the teacher. It's a time to reflect, to celebrate, to…

Sometimes the simple act of having a genuine and respectful dialogue can serve a broader purpose than the topic of discussion.  Today I had an unplanned exchange with two teachers about their instructional practice.  We did not do extensive planning for our meeting.  We sat down at small tables designed for young children.  The 10 -15 minute dialogue produced commitments to conduct a follow-up email exchange that would sharpen our focus, and lead to further steps aimed at reaching as yet…