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Below are my notes and takeaways from my learning at EDspaces2019. The conference, held in Milwaukee, WI this year, "the place where technology, space, and pedagogy converge." It was a great opportunity to see learning environments and hear from expert designers, architects, and educators.
Outdoor Learning in an Early Childhood setting Nate Bosch - Landscape architect with GMB
European Forest schools - in Chicago Illinois as well Richard Louv - Pioneer of connecting back to nature academic environments becoming treatment spaces Little Hawks school - Holland, MI
Tips:
21st Century Workplace Competencies: How can design shape student success? Gould Evans
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mentoring influences) brought him to several conclusions, among them were that the skills you need to succeed in a competitive academic environment are not related to innovation era. What must we do differently to prepare students for the innovation era?
Next, Wagner identified 5 contradictions in education:
 When I recently drove across the Throgs Neck Bridge and noticed that the toll booths had been replaced by fancy overhead structures with cameras and flashing lights, I couldn’t help but wonder… what happened to the toll takers? If you do a Google image search, you will have difficulty finding any pictures that document the removal of the booths… they just disappeared; well, not exactly (as you can see I don't get out much). If you do travel that road every day and see the change happening, then it is not such a surprise. However, as someone who does not regularly travel over the bridge, and many don't, I woke up one morning, drove over the bridge from Long Island, and realized the landscape has changed; and with it, many jobs that used to exist. I think of this as a metaphor for education. If we don’t look at the changes that are happening around us and do something to prepare our students while educating our communities, then change will always come as a surprise. As a high school principal, it is important to me that we seek change and offer opportunities for our students that prepare them for the world outside of our schools. We must continue to innovate and prepare students for a “modern world,” a world where our students will face opportunities and challenges that are developing at a rapid pace. If you notice, I chose the term “modern world’ purposefully as we are nearly 20 years into the 21st century. The skill sets that students need today and the jobs that will be available for them are drastically different than the world I grew up in. 2022 Skill Outlook
Source: Innovate Inside the Box (information taken from the World Economic Forum) This should lead us to think differently about the purpose of school and the goals we have for ourselves and for our students. How are we preparing our students?
 The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we cannot simply focus on the basics or rote learning. Simply knowing the facts isn’t enough. We must remain, as my drive over the Throgs Neck Bridge demonstrated, ready for change or we risk becoming irrelevant, or worse... obsolete. “Our job is not to prepare students for something. Our job is to help students prepare themselves for anything.” - AJ Juliani (Empower)
 So... back to Sunday evening. The Special Olympics opened the evening with a reception that featured a series of writable glass walls in aa large conference room space where participants could add their response to the question, "What does inclusion mean to you?" We also had the opportunity to talk to representatives and teachers who explained the Unified Chamption Schools program. After the reception, it was time to start planning the week. Just to put this conference into perspective, the schedule is a 164 page with a table of contents. There are so many choices, it is overwhelming. There is even an app to help you organize your day. Day 1: I started the day with a walking tour of Austin. It began early and we saw several sites such as William Sydney Porter's home. For those of you who don't know him, he has written many stories including The Gift of the Magi and The Ransom of Red Chief to name two under the name O. Henry. It was cold and I cut the tour short... but not before learning that the guide works for a company called Tipster Tours. This company takes people on free, no reservation, walking tours in cities around the country. From their website, "You pay what you like after the walk. You decide. We truly believe that if we do our best to create a great experience for people…without demanding anything in return…good things happen. Positive energy is created, which is beneficial to all!" So Cool!  Back at the conference, I decided that a good place to start was at the "First Time to SXSW EDU Meet Up." This session was packed and led by Dan Ryder (@WickedDecent) and Lakita Edwards (@ArtsHumana). The session was packed with newcomers like me and the facilitators provided opportunities for us to meet and talk. Additionally, they shared tips like:
" Connect, Reflect, and Have Fun! " Day 2 Well, after a crazy day one, I did some reflection. I perused the catalog and scaled down my expectations... not my expectattions for learning, but rather than breadth, I wanted depth. My Day Two Schedule:
This attitude led him to become an at NASA, an organization he said, works really well together. From there, he experienced tremendous challenges, including losing his hearing in a pool training exercise, that he overcame to be able to make several space flights. He encouraged the audience to use what kids love in order to teach them more effectively. His website, lelandmelvin.com has more about his current work as well as many inspiring videos. Don't forget to check out the "stupid astronaut tricks." And finally, don't forget the "man in the yellow hat" from Curious George who symbolically represents the people in your life you constant lift you up and are there for you.
 Day 3 Day 3 was going to be a day of networking with educators, visiting the vast exhibit hall, seeing several speakers , and then engaging in two hands-on workshops.
"Limits force us to rethink how we are working and push us to new heights of creativity." Finally... The exhibit hall was vast and featured everything from start-ups to colleges and universities, new technology products, furniture, and a mobile fab lab. Several of my stops included:
Jennifer's full presentation can be seen here: https://youtu.be/3s_NkSEWJZg The Restaurants & CultureSome new books for the reading list:
 The sun sets on a week of learning! Thank you SXSWEDU... I have been a firm believer in the power of social media for quite some time now. I am an avid Twitter and Instagram user in both my personal and professional lives and have encouraged my colleagues to "tell their story" via Twitter at our high school. We have been very successful at telling our story and "virtually" opening up our school to our community... and world. We have also made connections... the purpose of this post. I love hearing from our teachers about the professional learning networks (PLNs) they have become a part of. I love my own PLN and have grown so much from the connections I have made. It is easy to stay isolated, but we are better together. In our school, we are connected! We are able to share our own work, values, interests, celebrations, and the amazing accomplishments of our students both inside and outside of the classroom. We are able to connect our community to our school in ways that were previously inconvceivable... that is redefining learning. We can also grow professionally in real time. By following each other as well as other practitioners and researchers we no longer have to wait for professional development to come to us. We can create our own, anytime, anywhere. And... when you meet new people, because face to face connections are equally if not more important, you are able to keep that connection active through social media... all the time. So... if you are not on Twitter (or Instagram for that matter), it’s time to connect. Social media is powerful! follow me @whittneysmith_ and our high school @mineolahs   Have you ever wondered what an English Language Learner feels like... how much work it is to learn a new language in school? Well, I got a small taste of it when Ms. Gutierrez handed me a letter in Spanish. I certainly know that it does not compare to coming to a new country and entering a school where the majority of people speak English, but nonetheless, it made me nervous. She told me she wrote it in Spanish because her best thinking and expression is done that way. Should I ask someone to translate it for me? I though about that... it would be easy. Someone else would do the work for me. But, that is not what our students do when I walk into their classes. That is not how you learn. Our students use their resources such as changing the language in settings on their iPad, finding Spanish resources online, using the camera and the translate app to decipher the language, and just plain struggling until they get it. They have determinition, they have passion, and they have grit. They also have wonderful teachers who support them and understand that struggling is where the learning occurs. So, for me... how could I take the easy way out? I started by trying to read the letter. After all, I did take Spanish in high school and did fairly well. That did not work. While I could read many of the words on the page, I could not read enough of them to make meaning. So, I opened up the translate app and held my iPad above the page to capture the words on the page. That didn't work. Translate does not read handwriting. I had to understand the letter... I had to make meaning of the words; so I decided to type the letter, as written in Spanish, into Google Docs. I knew then that I could use the "translate document" feature. So I did it... word after word I retyped the letter. What a reward when I had the computer translate my Spanish typing into English. It wasn't perfect, as we all know, but it enabled me to make meaning of a document that I otherwise would not have been able to read. In the end, I learned so much about my own learning. Educators call this metacognition... I call it knowing what to do when you don't know what to do. I also learned so much about our students and how having a growth mindset is so important in learning, especially when the learning is difficult. Thank you Ms. Gutierrez, not only for your kind and inspirational words, but for being their for our students and always inviting me into your classroom so see the great learning taking place. Thank you students for inspiring me through your hard work and determination for it is those traits that are more important that natural ability!
"Believing in yourself and fighting for your dreams is what enables you to live each day and face every obstacle."
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| The Power of Words Essential Questions:
1. Scenario 1: Race 2. Scenario 2: Sexuality 3. Scenario 3: Religion 4. Scenario 4: Disability | Our Adelphi partnership flourished over the spring semester and with the support and partnership of Diana Feige, Ed.D., Clinical Associate Professor and Melanie Bush, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology we created an amazing day of dialogue where over sixty Mineola High School students met with Adelphi students to discuss issues of race in society. The dialogue was rich and honest. It was all we hoped it would be and more. It was empowering for the high school as well as college students and what we hope is the beginning of a powerful partnership in this area of our students' education.  Christina, Madison, and Sydnie address the group @ Adelphi University   |
We also engaged our student body in the cafeteria, during all lunch periods, to provide us with feedback as it related to the sessions. This feedback (see "Student Advisory Feedback" below) was organized by grade, coded, and then used for curriculum writing this summer. What we learned was that our students valued the dialogue more than the scripted lesson. They want to talk about topics that are "real" to them. They also helped us to recognize that like in any good lesson, we needed to differentiate the content and delivery based on the grade levels as well as the individual group needs/wants. This year's program will include a menu of choices and suggested materials that will help our advisors to craft their sessions, with their advisees.
This unique program, tailored to the specific needs of our students, will develop over time and require regular input. Year one had lots of successes!
- Students each have an advisor who will stay with them for their high school career
- Groups formed developed rapport and formed bonds
- Growth Mindset principles were learned and developed
| Topics included in the 2018-19 advisory program will include:
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| The theme for the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) 80th Annual Conference focused on building bridges within the STEM community and beyond. Building bridges helps everyone to understand the important role technology and engineering contributes to STEM education. |  |
My learning began with Professor Richard Kimbell of Goldsmiths University of London whose work is around capturing really good learning experiences from the classroom in portfolios and then enabling those portfolios to be assessed with a high degree of reliability. The highly valid and interesting work that goes on in classrooms is difficult to assess reliably. He uses digital portfolios, assessed by groups of teachers using the simple question, "Which one is better?" He cites Dylan Wiliam (1998) who asserted that "...most summative assessments were interpreted not with respect to criteria (which are ambiguous) ...but rather by reference to a shared construct of quality that exists in well defined communities of practice." This concept was called "connoisseurship" by Michael Polanyi in 1958. Kimbell concluded that:
Another highlight was meeting Dr. Lonnie Johnson. Dr. Johnson is a former Air Force and NASA engineer who invented the massively popular Super Soaker water gun. He reminded the audience to believe and have confidence in our students. Technology will bring solutions he said, and made sure that although ultimately successful, the super soaker took eight years and a lot of false starts along the way. He has since been developing the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter (JTEC), an engine that converts heat directly into electricity.
Dr. Johnson truly embodies a growth mindset and his message was unbelievably inspiring.
It was a pleasure to represent the Mineola School District along with Nicole Culella (PK-12 Instructional Leader) at this internationally attended event where we learned along side of passionate educators and had the opportunity to share our work as we presented a session entitled "Threading and Embedding Engineering Design Thinking PK-12." Our session was well attended and received by a packed room of educators representing schools from Maryland, Georgia, Utah, New York, North Carolina, Illinois and China.
- comparative judgement is easy and quick
- it works with the grain of human judgement
- Connoisseurship, like skill, can be communicated only by example, not by precept (Polanyi)
- by comparing examples we distinguish quality
- with a reliability equivalent to multiple choice testing
- without distorting the portfolio performance
Another highlight was meeting Dr. Lonnie Johnson. Dr. Johnson is a former Air Force and NASA engineer who invented the massively popular Super Soaker water gun. He reminded the audience to believe and have confidence in our students. Technology will bring solutions he said, and made sure that although ultimately successful, the super soaker took eight years and a lot of false starts along the way. He has since been developing the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter (JTEC), an engine that converts heat directly into electricity.
Dr. Johnson truly embodies a growth mindset and his message was unbelievably inspiring.
It was a pleasure to represent the Mineola School District along with Nicole Culella (PK-12 Instructional Leader) at this internationally attended event where we learned along side of passionate educators and had the opportunity to share our work as we presented a session entitled "Threading and Embedding Engineering Design Thinking PK-12." Our session was well attended and received by a packed room of educators representing schools from Maryland, Georgia, Utah, New York, North Carolina, Illinois and China.
| We began with a Padlet as a needs assessment so that we could make sure that we met the learning targets of our attendees. We then transitioned to a look at Mineola's PK-12 use of Engineering Design Thinking which includes a comprehensive and vertically articulated embedding of coding, computer science, robotics, and makerspaces. The themes of each grade were articulated and the thoughtfulness of the scaffolded skills that build on each other as students advance through the school system were demonstrated with examples of the programs that all of our students are afforded. K-2: Choice and Exploration 3-4: Invention and Design 5-7: Iteration and Innovation 8-12: Collaboration and Production |  "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating." |
As our presentation concluded, we networked with other educators and took away several key points.
- There is a clear need for comprehensive curriculum in STEM education.
- There are vast inequities that exist in STEM education across the United States and internationally.
- We are #MineolaProud of the work of our Board of Education, Administrators, Teachers, and of course, our students who make the incredible work being done in Mineola possible.
There are fews things that educational leaders do that are more important than hiring the right teachers. That is why we need to constantly revisit the construct that we use and determine whether, in the short amount of time that we have with each person, are we yielding the best results. Our superintendent reminds us that the process of hiring and developing a new teacher is like a "marraige;" we want to make sure that we are "with" the right person, and will continue with them for the long term. So... how do we do that?
Our traditional process was already collaborative as teachers and administrators work together to cull through the resumes that we receive and choose the candidates for interviews whose resumes and cover letters stand out. We look at certification, well-written and articulate cover letters (without spelling or grammatical errors), experience (student teaching or professional), and skills that match our needs. For me, the number of pages of the resume does not matter, but rather the content within it.
When we bring the candidates in, we ask questions, require a writing sample (in math we have them solve a difficult problem) and then move some on for demonstration lessons. Finally, our superintendent meets with our short list of candidates and recommends the successful candidate to our Board of Education for hiring.
While there are many great questions to ask prospective teachers, the lists can be extensive (below are some that we use). Furthermore, candidates' answers are often filled with educational jargon and without careful follow-up, can lead interviewers to believe that a concept is known, when in fact only the term is. In otherwords, the answers lack depth of knowledge.
What's New? Changing the paradigm.... A Quadrilateral Approach.
We have been developing the Four Cs (creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication) as a pillar of our instruction at the high school. While this notion is not new, if "modern" (we are 18 years into the 21st century) education is ever going to make a difference in the lives of students, teachers must be able to do this work in classrooms every day. How do we see this before we hire?
Enter the group interview. The construct of this new paradigm starts with bringing teacher candidates into our interview process in groups. For the first hour of the interview, we have them work on a task (a multiday lesson plan) in groups.
For our English interviews, we provided all candidates with a copy of "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and asked them to read it in advance of the interview date. When they arrived, they arrived as a group and we handed them the task to complete. We place them in groups... and let them go.
Task: You have an 11th grade integrated class including students with IEPs as well as English Language Learners. Using "The Story of an Hour," construct a two day lesson plan that includes the following:
We (the committee of teachers and administrators) observe them working and take notes using a list of "look-fors." We then have them share out their lessons along with the rationale. During the next hour, we have them complete their writing sample while we meet with each one individually beginning with a new question, "What did you think of the process?" Their answers are telling in many ways. Sometimes, they coincide with how they worked with their group. Sometimes they don't. For example, several candidates told us that they would have participated more but did not want to dominate the conversation or "step on anyone's toes." Almost all of them told us that they enjoyed the process of working with others and knew that it would be a big part of their job if they were the successful candidate. They could see right away that we value collaboration and teamwork.
Including the group dynamic has been a game changer for us. It has uncovered the Four Cs and allowed us to push our thinking beyond the Q & A. This quadrilateral approach allows us to examine four aspects: interview, writing sample, group activity, and demonstration lesson. By doing so, we can see that all quadrilaterals have four sides, but each side can be different and create a very different shape. And, not all shapes match our school and district needs.
Sample Interview Questions:
Our traditional process was already collaborative as teachers and administrators work together to cull through the resumes that we receive and choose the candidates for interviews whose resumes and cover letters stand out. We look at certification, well-written and articulate cover letters (without spelling or grammatical errors), experience (student teaching or professional), and skills that match our needs. For me, the number of pages of the resume does not matter, but rather the content within it.
When we bring the candidates in, we ask questions, require a writing sample (in math we have them solve a difficult problem) and then move some on for demonstration lessons. Finally, our superintendent meets with our short list of candidates and recommends the successful candidate to our Board of Education for hiring.
While there are many great questions to ask prospective teachers, the lists can be extensive (below are some that we use). Furthermore, candidates' answers are often filled with educational jargon and without careful follow-up, can lead interviewers to believe that a concept is known, when in fact only the term is. In otherwords, the answers lack depth of knowledge.
What's New? Changing the paradigm.... A Quadrilateral Approach.
We have been developing the Four Cs (creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication) as a pillar of our instruction at the high school. While this notion is not new, if "modern" (we are 18 years into the 21st century) education is ever going to make a difference in the lives of students, teachers must be able to do this work in classrooms every day. How do we see this before we hire?
Enter the group interview. The construct of this new paradigm starts with bringing teacher candidates into our interview process in groups. For the first hour of the interview, we have them work on a task (a multiday lesson plan) in groups.
For our English interviews, we provided all candidates with a copy of "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and asked them to read it in advance of the interview date. When they arrived, they arrived as a group and we handed them the task to complete. We place them in groups... and let them go.
Task: You have an 11th grade integrated class including students with IEPs as well as English Language Learners. Using "The Story of an Hour," construct a two day lesson plan that includes the following:
- standards addressed
- skills addressed
- specific objectives for each day
- an Essential Question
- classroom activities
- formative assessments
We (the committee of teachers and administrators) observe them working and take notes using a list of "look-fors." We then have them share out their lessons along with the rationale. During the next hour, we have them complete their writing sample while we meet with each one individually beginning with a new question, "What did you think of the process?" Their answers are telling in many ways. Sometimes, they coincide with how they worked with their group. Sometimes they don't. For example, several candidates told us that they would have participated more but did not want to dominate the conversation or "step on anyone's toes." Almost all of them told us that they enjoyed the process of working with others and knew that it would be a big part of their job if they were the successful candidate. They could see right away that we value collaboration and teamwork.
Including the group dynamic has been a game changer for us. It has uncovered the Four Cs and allowed us to push our thinking beyond the Q & A. This quadrilateral approach allows us to examine four aspects: interview, writing sample, group activity, and demonstration lesson. By doing so, we can see that all quadrilaterals have four sides, but each side can be different and create a very different shape. And, not all shapes match our school and district needs.
Sample Interview Questions:
| sample_interview_questions.doc |
Reflecting on my time at the Redesigning for Student Success Conference, a conference focused solely on sharing the practices of over 20 of the most transformational schools in the country, I think of the major things that resonated with me.
- Networking with like-minded professionals (those committed to providing the best educational experience to the students they are entrusted with)
- Visiting other school environments and engaging with the administration, faculty and students
- Hearing about programs, processes, and opportunities that are not only unique, but address the needs of all learners.
- And finally... sharing what makes me #MineolaProud; an opportunity to share all that we do for our students (in this case with a focus on our Internet and Information Technology Program which takes College and Career Readiness to the Next Level)
Thank you @tonydonen for sharing this great panoramic photo
  |  |   |
The students were really proud of their school as well and shared everything with us. As we say often in Mineola, the students are always the best ambassadors, and give you the most "real" information. Some interesting takeaways were the 5 week internship that all juniors do, their advisory program, and the biannual project exhibitions.
| The tour that day ended in the office of Kaleb Rashad, Director of High Tech High. Dr. Rashad shared his experiences of working with a committed group of educators who are engaging in Project Based Learning aimed at engaging students in real-world problems. We talked about budgets, time management, leadership, and commitment to the work of school. It is always rewarding to be able to converse with passionate educators and Kaleb's energy was incredible. His book collection was impressive as well!  |  The Keynote speakers kicked off the conference with a presentation on Adaptive Implementation, the focus on education practice improvements in an existing setting. AI applies design engineering principles to the work of improving education. Design engineering is a decision-making process, often iterative, that applies knowledge and experience to achieve a stated objective. They shared their book as well as the five steps of the process and key questions: |
!. Waypoints - What do we need to see?
2. Resources - What resources do we need?
3. Activities - What will we do?
4. Implementation - What did we do?
5. Adaptation - What did we learn?
2. Resources - What resources do we need?
3. Activities - What will we do?
4. Implementation - What did we do?
5. Adaptation - What did we learn?
The next session I attended led me to Dr. Tony Donon, Principal of the STEM School Chattanooga (@STEMcha) and Michael Stone, Director of the Public Education Foundation of Chattanooga. These two gentlemen were a dynamic duo; great presenters with vision on how to design PBL as well as experience in digital fabrication, opening FabLabs and scaling their impact across multiple schools. In the spirit of professional collaboration, our conversations extended into the evening. Our mutual interests in innovation led us to a rich exchange of ideas.
The STEM School website (http://www.stemschoolchattanooga.net/) is rich with resources and curriculum units for everyone to see and use. "By consistently exploring and implementing innovative practices, the STEM School builds a strong foundation for thinking critically, innovating, and leading. This foundation equips students to address current issues and problems and provides them with the tools they need to continue to learn and grow. The STEM School requires a unique approach to both teaching and learning – which impacts three main areas: its curriculum, its classroom structure, and its grading practices.
Michael's work with the Public Education Foundation (PEF) helps, among other things, scale the work of the STEM school, which he calls a "beacon" in the area. He is responsible, along with his colleagues for opening VWeLabs around the Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee.
Several other useful resources for those interested in digital fabrication that were shared include:
The Volkswagen eLabs website - https://www.vwelab.org/
The Fab Foundation Website - http://fabfoundation.org/
The STEM School website (http://www.stemschoolchattanooga.net/) is rich with resources and curriculum units for everyone to see and use. "By consistently exploring and implementing innovative practices, the STEM School builds a strong foundation for thinking critically, innovating, and leading. This foundation equips students to address current issues and problems and provides them with the tools they need to continue to learn and grow. The STEM School requires a unique approach to both teaching and learning – which impacts three main areas: its curriculum, its classroom structure, and its grading practices.
Michael's work with the Public Education Foundation (PEF) helps, among other things, scale the work of the STEM school, which he calls a "beacon" in the area. He is responsible, along with his colleagues for opening VWeLabs around the Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee.
Several other useful resources for those interested in digital fabrication that were shared include:
The Volkswagen eLabs website - https://www.vwelab.org/
The Fab Foundation Website - http://fabfoundation.org/
Meeting Roger Andre and Stephanie Lolich from VANTAGE , taught us about a unique half day program that is part of the Minnetonka Public Schools where students work with a project team to solve real-world problems and learn about the challenges of project-driven work. Under the direction of a teacher and in partnership with industry professionals, these project teams strive to make a contribution to a partner-defined project while gaining invaluable experience in today's marketplace. Some ideas that resonated for me during this session from these amazing educators were:
Our Presentation
Our Planning Template
Some takeaways from our talk was that it was unique. The programs we heard about included students completing projects with businesses, visiting them, and having guest lecturers, but there were no internships. There were also no college partnerships; credits offered were through tests, such as AP and IB. We also learned that each school has a unique set of challenges and solutions to address their needs and that no two programs are alike. Some districts have STEM schools, and some schools create half day programs with multiple "strands" or offerings.
The conference was eye opening for me on many levels, but mostly because it caused me to reflect on its title, "Redesigning for School Success." It always seems like we are "redesigning" and in the past I thought that was because we were doing it wrong; because we have not been successful. That is entirely untrue. Public schools were founded in this country to make sure its future generations of citizens have the skills to be productive members of society. They started with reading, writing, and mathematics and the list of subjects began to grow from there.
So... it is not because we are doing it wrong that we need redesign, it is because our world is changing, the skills needed are changing, and we must be nimble in our thinking in order to keep preparing our students to be productive members of society. I have never been more #MineolaProud of our district and it's ability to stay at the forefront... always seeking to provide our students with the skills to "...inspire each student to be a life-long learner, pursue excellence, exhibit strength of character and contribute positively to a global society."
- "HR Day" - where students participate in mock interviews and resume evaluations
- "Shark Tank" - Students present a business plan to partner college
- "Lean Canvas" - an adaptation of Business Model Canvas by Alexander Osterwalder which Ash Maurya created in the Lean Startup spirit (Fast, Concise and Effective startup).
- Online course offerings to address scheduling conflicts
- Guidance counselors must be able to explain the programs (Health Sciences, Global Food Sustainability, Design and Marketing, Digital Journalism, Business Analytics, and Global Business) well to the students and their parents
Our Presentation
Our Planning Template
Some takeaways from our talk was that it was unique. The programs we heard about included students completing projects with businesses, visiting them, and having guest lecturers, but there were no internships. There were also no college partnerships; credits offered were through tests, such as AP and IB. We also learned that each school has a unique set of challenges and solutions to address their needs and that no two programs are alike. Some districts have STEM schools, and some schools create half day programs with multiple "strands" or offerings.
The conference was eye opening for me on many levels, but mostly because it caused me to reflect on its title, "Redesigning for School Success." It always seems like we are "redesigning" and in the past I thought that was because we were doing it wrong; because we have not been successful. That is entirely untrue. Public schools were founded in this country to make sure its future generations of citizens have the skills to be productive members of society. They started with reading, writing, and mathematics and the list of subjects began to grow from there.
So... it is not because we are doing it wrong that we need redesign, it is because our world is changing, the skills needed are changing, and we must be nimble in our thinking in order to keep preparing our students to be productive members of society. I have never been more #MineolaProud of our district and it's ability to stay at the forefront... always seeking to provide our students with the skills to "...inspire each student to be a life-long learner, pursue excellence, exhibit strength of character and contribute positively to a global society."
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Whittney Smith, Ed.D.
Dr. Smith is the Principal of Mineola High School in Garden City Park, NY. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Ruth Ammon School of Education at Adelphi University.
