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Vol. 4, Issue 28
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ALL Professional
Development for 2009-10
(Alphabetical List)

ALL Region Events
for 2009-10
(Alphabetical List
by Region)

This page can also be viewed by clicking on
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The Principal’s Principles
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Spread the word: don't gossip

One day in ancient Greece an acquaintance met the great philosopher Socrates and said,

"Socrates, do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple Filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

There would be no or little gossip if everyone followed Socrates' Triple Filter Test. But that is not the case. Gossip runs rampant.

It's no wonder legendary American humorist Erma Bombeck said: "Some say our national pastime is baseball. Not me. It's gossip."

Someone has calculated that, if a rumor was started at midday, and was repeated within two seconds by everyone who heard it to two other people, who repeated it and kept the cycle going, by about 6:30 p.m. the same day everyone on earth would have heard it.

Of course, the Internet has brought gossiping up to warp speed. A rumor posted online can make it around the world in milliseconds. And although the post may seem anonymous and, therefore, "safe," the damage is potentially irreparable. Snopes, the urban legends reference site, can't debunk everything, after all.

Office gossip in particular is a major concern for a number of reasons. The Triple Filter Test could prevent plenty of misunderstandings and hard feelings in the workplace, where teamwork and cooperation are often central to productivity. How does someone work with another who insists on passing along information that may not be true, good or useful?

Spreading rumors about co-workers can create a hostile environment that customers will pick up on. This is a good reason for avoiding gossip. Plus the fact that I've seen many deals go down, due to gossip.

As advice columnist Dear Abby said, "It is almost impossible to throw dirt on someone without getting a little on yourself."

So clean up your act! The Triple Filter Test is simple to use. Truth alone is not enough reason to spread gossip. Who doesn't have an embarrassing truth that they want to remain private? And while good news may seem harmless enough, is it your news to share? But perhaps the most compelling reason to avoid gossip is the usefulness test. How will the information be used? I'm betting it won't be for positive reasons.

Maybe you've heard about the three ministers who went fishing. They were good friends, each of whom was a pastor at different churches in the same town. While they were fishing they began confessing their sins to each other.

The first pastor said, "Do you know what my big sin is? My big sin is drinking. I know it's wrong, but every Friday night I drive to a city where no one will recognize me, and I go to a saloon and get drunk. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. It's my big sin."

The second pastor said, "Well, to be honest with you, I've got a big sin too. My big sin is gambling. As a matter of fact, you know all the money I raised for that mission trip to India? I took it to Las Vegas instead and lost it all. I'm so ashamed. My big sin is gambling."

Finally it was the third pastor's turn. He said, "Guys, I probably should have gone first, because my big sin is gossiping."

-Harvey Mackay’s Column, December 3, 2009, www.harveymackay.com

Horace Mann/Illinois Principals Association Name Principal of the Year Award Winners

Horace Mann and the Illinois Principals Association are pleased to announce the Principal of the Year Award Winners for the 2010-2011 school year. Award winners are:

• Elementary Principal of the Year – Derek Straight, Principal, James C. Bush Elementary School, Johnsburg
• Middle/Jr. High School Principal of the Year – Mark Pagel, Principal, Dwight Middle School, Dwight
• High School Principal of the Year – Steven Isoye, Principal, Maine East High School, Park Ridge
• Assistant Principal of the Year – Sharon Gonzalez, Galesburg High School, Galesburg

The Horace Mann/IPA Principal of the Year Awards Program recognizes educational leaders who have demonstrated a positive impact on their students and learning community. Criteria for the award include:

• Demonstrates a positive impact on education and advocacy for children
• Ensures the school climate is positive and reflects high staff and student morale
• Demonstrates creativity and imagination in bringing about positive change
• Willing to take risks to improve student learning
• Moves actively to implement the goals and objectives of the school
• Works collaboratively with teachers and community members to improve the educational program and student performance
• Anticipates emerging problems and acts effectively to resolve them
• Involves the community in the life of the school and uses community resources for students

According to Jason Leahy, IPA Executive Director, “Each of these award winners has proven that they are some of the best educational leaders in the business. Their learning communities should feel proud and fortunate to have these individuals leading their schools.”

Principal of the Year Winners were selected from a pool of region nominees provided by the 21 Regions of the Illinois Principals Association and will be recognized at the IPA’s annual statewide conferences. Winners will receive a $1000 honorarium and are now afforded the opportunity to compete in their respective national leaders’ competitions with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (www.naesp.org) and National Association of Secondary School Principals (www.principals.org).

Visit http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/awards_program.html for more information about the IPA Principal of the Year Awards Program.

Horace Mann -- the largest national multiline insurance company focusing on educators' financial needs – provides auto and homeowners insurance, retirement annuities, life insurance and other financial solutions. “Founded by Educators for Educators” in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Ill. For more information, visit www.horacemann.com

Congratulations to the following IPA Members retiring at the end of the 2009-2010 school year:

Kevin Cochrane, Principal, Greenville High School, Greenville

Did we miss you or one of your colleagues in the news?  If so, please email Lynne at lynne@ilprincipals.org.

Capitol Brief

GOVERNOR PLAN TO CUT K-12 BY $1 BILLION

A new law enacted a couple of weeks ago that gave Governor Pat Quinn three additional weeks to prepare his State Budget Address, also required him to post his budget numbers for public viewing. On Wednesday afternoon, the Governor’s office held a press conference and displayed budget information for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 on a website: www.budget.illinois.gov.

The budget outline for the FY ’11 fiscal year would cut kindergarten-12 public education by nearly $1 billion compared to the FY ’10 appropriations. The federal government provided that amount of money in FY ’10 through stimulus funds. With the State being broke (an estimated $13 billion budget deficit), there are no sources for the revenue needed to make up the almost $1 billion in funding the federal government provided this year. Thus, the enormous cut.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has not yet laid out its recommendations on how appropriations would be divvied up given one billion less dollars. It is likely, though, that General State Aid would be prioritized and other grant line items would be even harder hit than they were in FY ‘10. State Superintendent Chris Koch is scheduled to appear before the House appropriations committee for education in the coming weeks and will be addressing these issues.

There were also amendments filed in the Senate this week that would reduce appropriations for State Agencies in the current fiscal year. None of these proposed cuts appear to affect local school districts, however SB 1235 (Trotter D-Chicago) has amendments filed that would reduce the appropriations in the current fiscal year for ISBE operations and administrative costs and the appropriation for regional superintendent salaries. The amendments have not yet been adopted.

MANDATES BILL WEAKENED

Though the bill to provide mandate relief to school districts is still a viable bill, the potential impact of the legislation continues to lessen. HB 4711 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville) provides that no school district is obligated to comply with any statutory or regulatory mandate or requirement unless a separate appropriation has been enacted into law providing funding for the school year during which such mandate is required. This bid to give flexibility to local school districts, and to potentially allow districts to save time and money during these difficult budget times, has lost much of its promise. The Alliance lauds Representative Eddy as he continues to be a vocal and passionate bill sponsor and staunch proponent of the concept contained in the bill as originally introduced.

Legislators and opponents of the bill, however, have continued to demand exceptions so that certain school district requirements do not fall under the scope of the bill. In the latest amendment drafted, the bill could not provide mandate relief in the following areas: “special education, transportation, lunch programs, coursework required for high school graduation, the health/life safety code, driver education, curricula associated with Illinois learning standards and State assessments (including longitudinal data systems), teacher certification requirements, programs impacted by federal requirements, laws related to teacher tenure, dismissal, or reduction in force, locally negotiated contracts, bilingual education, criminal history records checks, the Open Meetings Act, requirements for school districts certified to be in financial difficulty under Section 1A-8 of this Code, requirements for school districts under financial oversight panel or a school finance authority, and any laws related to employment under Chapter 820 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes.”

The bill is pending consideration on the floor of the House of Representatives. If approved by the House, the legislation will move to the Senate where further “exceptions” will likely be added to the bill.

You can stay informed about all legislative activity by reading the Alliance Legislative Reports which can be accessed at http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/alliance_reports.html. IPA Government Relations Director DeJuan Kea also provides frequent legislative podcast during session. Go to http://web.mac.com/ilprincipals/IPA/Legal_Legislative/Legal_Legislative.html to listen.

Do not miss an opportunity to TAKE ACTION on legislative issues that are important to you by using the IPA’s Cap Wiz website. It’s a resource provided to you that can be accessed by all members of your learning community; http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/cap_wiz.html

Upcoming IPA Region Events - Don't Miss An Opportunity to Network with Your Colleagues!

Contact your Region Director for final event dates, times and locations as they are subject to change. Your Region Director's contact information can be found at http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/region_info.html.

Don't know your IPA Region? Go to http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/region_map.htm to find out.

IPA Seeks Small Group Session Proposals for 2010 Fall Conference

The Illinois Principals Association invites you to submit a proposal for presenting at the 2010 Principals Professional Conference. Take advantage of this opportunity to tell your colleagues what is working in your school share, your expertise, network and grow professionally. Editable proposal forms can be found at http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/pro_dev_conferences.html. E-mail, snail mail or fax them back to Pam at pam@ilprincipals.org, IPA, 2940 Baker Drive, Springfield 62703 or 217-525-7264. All proposals are due by March 31, 2010.

Still Haven’t Taken a Look at IPA’s New Model Student Handbook Service

See all this new service from the IPA has to offer you by watching this 6 minute video from Brian Schwartz, IPA Associate Director and General Counsel.

http://vimeo.com/8615392

For Members Only – Interested in an Interim Leadership Position

Occasionally, the IPA receives requests from school districts seeking educational leaders to serve an interim leadership position. If you are interested in a such a position, please send a letter of interest and current resume to Jason Leahy, IPA Executive Director, by email at jason@ilprincipals.org. In your letter of interest, please include which grade levels and counties you would prefer to serve.

For Members Only – Ourth/Singleton Scholarship

In an effort to recognize the contributions of John Ourth and Fred Singleton to the Illinois Principals Association, the IPA Board of Directors unanimously approved the creation of two professional development scholarships in their honor at the IPA Conference in October 2007. Two $750 scholarships will be awarded each year to IPA Members, one for an elementary administrator (K-8) and one for a secondary administrator (9-12).The purpose of the Illinois Principals Association scholarship is to provide scholarship grants to assist individuals in the pursuit of graduate study, attendance at national conferences, and attendance at other relevant professional development to further the capacities of school administrators to be instructional leaders. More information can be found at http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/ipa_scholarship.html. Applications are due to the IPA office by May 15, 2010.

For Members Only – Horace Mann/IPA Awards Program

The IPA is now accepting nominations for the following awards sponsored by Horace Mann:

Innovative Education
Community Service
Friend of Education
Partners in Education
Herman Graves

Winners will receive a $750 honorarium and be recognized at the IPA Fall Conference in October. Nominations are due to Region Directors by April 30. More information about the IPA Awards Program along with nomination forms can be found at http://www.ilprincipals.org/pages/awards_program.html. Go to horacemann.com to learn more about the Horace Mann Company.

The Future of Leadership-Technology and the School Leaders-AA #744
Presenter: Meg Ormiston, Professional Development Specialist, Tech Teachers, Inc., Burr Ridge, IL

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - IPA Headquarters, 2940 Baker Dr., Springfield

Click here to register!

Technology for Administrators: How to Lead Change in the Classroom with Blogs, WIKIS and Podcasts-AA #520
Presenter: Meg Ormiston, Professional Development Specialist, Tech Teachers, Inc., Burr Ridge, IL

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - Doubletree Hotel, 10 Brickyard Dr., Bloomington

Click here to register!

ONLINE COURSE-Improving School Climate and Academic Achievement Through a Focus on School Safety-AA #793
Presenter: Michael Dorn, Executive Director, Safe Havens International, Inc.

Thursday, March 18, 2010 – Online Course

Click here to register!

Nearly 1,000 Schools Recognized for Academic Excellence on 2009 Illinois Honor Roll

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) recently announced that 975 schools made the Illinois Honor Roll for their continued academic progress. The 2009 honor roll includes more than 90 schools that are being recognized for the sixth or seventh consecutive year. All of these outstanding schools are being honored for their accomplishments in making progress toward or maintaining academic excellence.

"These Honor Roll schools include struggling schools that have undertaken large reform efforts as well as high-performing schools that have maintained excellence even as the bar to making Adequate Yearly Progress grows higher," said State Superintendent Christopher A. Koch. "This kind of achievement requires nothing less than sheer hard work and dedication on the part of administrators, teachers, parents and students."

Northern Illinois University worked with ISBE to establish criteria, identify winners of the awards and administer the Illinois Honor Roll, which is divided into three categories – Spotlight Schools; Academic Excellence and Academic Improvement. Each award has unique criteria that best reflect the diverse circumstances of Illinois schools.

• Spotlight Schools – Recognizes 425 high-poverty, high-performing schools that are beating the odds to overcoming the achievement gap.
• Academic Excellence Awards – 438 schools have sustained high performance over at least three years.
• Academic Improvement Awards – 147 schools are showing substantial gains over three years.

The 2009 honor roll roster includes elementary, middle and high schools, including charter schools, and represents 362 school districts statewide. Suburban schools represent 42 percent of the Honor Roll schools, downstate schools account for another 44 percent and Chicago schools make up the final 14 percent this year. The 975 schools earned a total of 1,110 awards in the three categories.

Other 2009 Illinois Honor Roll facts:

• At all 147 Academic Improvement Award schools, the number of students meeting or exceeding standards increased by at least 7.5 points over one year or 15 points over two years.
• In 2009, six schools won the Academic Improvement Award, sustaining annual 7.5 improvements, for a fourth time.
• Nine Spotlight Schools are receiving a seventh award this year, having maintained high level performance since the award began in 2003, and 27 schools earned the award for a sixth straight year.
• In 2009, 44 Academic Excellence schools sustained their long-term high achievement and won a sixth award, 44 schools are being recognized for the fifth time (2005–2009) and 23 for the fourth time (2006–2009).
• In 2009, 166 Academic Excellence elementary schools showed increases in scores over last year, even though they started at a baseline above 90 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.
• This year, five schools won both the Spotlight Schools award and the Academic Excellence Award. Among them is a Chicago high school, Jones College Preparatory which has made the Honor Roll more than any school in the state with 12 awards since the Honor Roll began in 2003. Sheridan Elementary Math & Science Academy in Chicago also earned both a Spotlight and Academic Excellence Award as did Arcadia Elementary School in Olympia Fields, Chatsworth Grade School (Chatsworth) and Belle Rive Attendance Center (Belle Rive.)
• Another 30 schools won both the Spotlight Schools award and the Academic Improvement Award.

A complete listing of the 2009 Illinois Honor Roll Schools can be found online at: http://www.ilhonorroll.niu.edu/

Obama and Duncan Offer ESEA Reauthorization Blueprint

President Obama and Secretary of Education Duncan recently presented to the governors' a blueprint for the Administration's ESEA reauthorization.  To better align ESEA to support college and career-ready standards, the Obama Administration will integrate new policies into a redesigned ESEA and these are also reflected in the President's FY 2011 budget proposal.
 
PROMOTING COLLEGE AND CAREER-READINESS
(From the White House Fact Sheet)

The President's FY 2011 budget supports the Obama Administration's plan for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), including a comprehensive and new vision to help states successfully transition to and implement college- and career-ready standards by improving teacher preparation and development, upgrading classroom instruction, and supporting high-quality assessments.

• Require all states to adopt and certify that they have college- and career-ready standards in reading and mathematics, which may include common standards developed by a state- led consortium, as a condition of qualifying for Title I funding.

• Include new funding priorities for states with college- and career-ready standards in place, as they compete for federal funds to improve teaching and learning and upgrade curriculum in reading and math. This priority applies to the President's FY2011 budget request for new Effective Teaching and Learning programs in literacy ($450 million) and STEM ($300 million).

• Encourage states, schools districts, and other institutions to better align teacher preparation practices and programs to teaching of college and career-ready standards. This priority supports the President's FY2011 budget request for a new Teacher and Leaders Pathways program ($405 million).

• Assist states in implementing assessments aligned with college- and career-ready standards, under a new Assessing Achievement program. The President's FY2011 budget supports $400 million in state grants under this program.

• Support the expansion of the Race to the Top, beyond funding in the Recovery Act, to dedicate $1.35 billion in awards to states and school districts that have college- and career-ready standards in place as a condition of funding.

• Support professional development for teachers, leaders and other school instructional staff to better align instruction to college and career-ready standards. This supports the President's FY2011 budget request for the Effective Teacher and Leaders state grant program ($2.5 billion).

 

NASSP Expresses Concern Over Obama Proposal Linking Title I Funds to Adoption of College- and Career Ready Standards

NASSP Executive Director Gerald N. Tirozzi issued the following statement on the Obama administration’s proposal to link Title I funds to the state’s adoption of college- and career-ready standards:

NASSP applauds the Obama administration’s encouragement for states to adopt college- and career-ready standards, as our organization has long been a proponent of high academic standards for all students and is an endorsing partner in the development of the Common Core.

The manner of encouragement, however, raises significant concerns. The administration’s proposal to withhold all Title I funds from states that choose not to comply, while making for vigorous policy debate, ultimately threatens the education and well-being of students in poverty—the very students who most need support and for whom Title I was created. No matter how well intentioned, no proposal should ever reduce the base of Title I funds to a negotiating chip. As our members on the front lines of education can attest, the need is too great, the stakes too high, and the students who stand to lose the most are those who can least afford the loss.

We would encourage the Obama administration to exchange the stick for the carrot. NASSP supports the creation of an incentive pool of funds—a pool that would entice states to adopt high standards and provide additional funding to help students from poverty reach them. Only then can we shift the tone of the discussion from coercion to cooperation for the benefit of our nation’s students.

College Readiness for All Toolbox

Are you interested in preparing more low income and minority students for postsecondary education?

Principals and their faculty can use the College Readiness for All Toolbox as an effective set of well-researched tools, lessons learned, resources, and documents designed to do the following:

• Create a college-ready culture for ALL students.
• Enhance student expectations, achievement, and access.
• Provide educators and outreach professionals with self-assessment
and evaluation activities.
• Help students and educators collaborate on postsecondary success.
• Provide an understanding of the change process.
• Create an easy to use roadmap for program implementation.
Click on the link http://toolbox.pathwaystocollege.net/ to take the first steps to creating a college ready culture, and begin exploring the tools, resources, and activities available in the toolbox!

For further information, you may also email NASSP staff member, Lois Hall, at halll@principals.org.