The Little Boy

This story which has been a favorite of mine for a long time has such a powerful message.  

  The Little Boy
by Helen Buckley

---

Once a little boy went to school.
He was quite a little boy
And it was quite a big school.
But when the little boy
Found that he could go to his room
By walking right in from the door outside
He was happy;
And the school did not seem
Quite so big anymore.

One morning
When the little boy had been in school awhile,
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked to make all kinds;
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats;
And he took out his box of crayons
And began to draw.

But the teacher said, "Wait!"
"It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now," said the teacher,
"We are going to make flowers."
"Good!" thought the little boy,
He liked to make beautiful ones
With his pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said "Wait!"
"And I will show you how."
And it was red, with a green stem.
"There," said the teacher,
"Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at his teacher's flower
Then he looked at his own flower.
He liked his flower better than the teacher's
But he did not say this.
He just turned his paper over,
And made a flower like the teacher's.
It was red, with a green stem.

On another day
When the little boy had opened
The door from the outside all by himself,
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make something with clay."
"Good!" thought the little boy;
He liked clay.
He could make all kinds of things with clay:
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay.

But the teacher said, "Wait!"
"It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now," said the teacher,
"We are going to make a dish."
"Good!" thought the little boy,
He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some
That were all shapes and sizes.

But the teacher said "Wait!"
"And I will show you how."
And she showed everyone how to make
One deep dish.
"There," said the teacher,
"Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at the teacher's dish;
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his better than the teacher's
But he did not say this.
He just rolled his clay into a big ball again
And made a dish like the teacher's.
It was a deep dish.

And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait,
And to watch
And to make things just like the teacher.
And pretty soon
He didn't make things of his own anymore.

Then it happened
That the little boy and his family
Moved to another house,
In another city,
And the little boy
Had to go to another school.
This school was even bigger
Than the other one.
And there was no door from the outside
Into his room.
He had to go up some big steps
And walk down a long hall
To get to his room.
And the very first day
He was there,
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
And he waited for the teacher
To tell what to do.
But the teacher didn't say anything.
She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy
She asked, "Don't you want to make a picture?"
"Yes," said the lttle boy.
"What are we going to make?"
"I don't know until you make it," said the teacher.
"How shall I make it?" asked the little boy.
"Why, anyway you like," said the teacher.
"And any color?" asked the little boy.
"Any color," said the teacher.
"If everyone made the same picture,
And used the same colors,
How would I know who made what,
And which was which?"
"I don't know," said the little boy.
.And he began to make pink and orange and blue flowers.

He liked his new school,
Even if it didn't have a door
Right in from the outside!

---

This is the original version of the poem by Helen Buckley. This poem was originally published in the School Arts Magazine in October 1961.

Grandparents' Day

Not only will we want to find ways to celebrate this day at Esperanza, but also constantly remember how important the extended family is, especially in the Hispanic culture. 

Communication to the School Community

Great counsel from FeedBlitz on 8-28-12


Communication to the School Community
“I don’t know. They never tell me anything.”
“I’m always the last to know.”
Schools are at risk of miscommunicating with their community. When school districts are large enough that they have multiple schools at each level, it is very hard to get the same message out to all parents at the same time. Many schools have Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and have the capability to e-mail parents at the same time. Unfortunately, those tools to communicate with parents take people to do the work and many schools are dealing with budget cuts so they have less people to do more work.
If school communication falls to the principal, which most times is part of their job, communication becomes something to check off a list. Not all principals sit in their offices at the same time and can send out e-mails, Tweets or post to Facebook at the same time. When one principal communicates before another, it can create stress among the group. Everyone wants instant access to every message and it just isn’t possible.
Communication is important and most of us feel that it is one of our yearly goals. It’s often one of the biggest complaints principals hear. If one teacher gets a message before another, principals hear that there is a lack of communication in the building.
The truth is, we want to communicate better. Principals don’t sit around dark rooms meeting with their principal colleagues discussing ways to not communicate. Given the influx of tools to communicate with, it’s almost like communication is harder at a time when it should be easier. I believe that connected educators have an obligation to constantly discuss how educators can communicate better with parents and students. Principals and district leaders also have an obligation to find the most effective ways to communicate with their community.
In the End
Communication is vitally important to how a school district functions. Nothing is more important than face-to-face communication but with 24/7 tools educators and leaders can get simple messages out quickly. In addition, they can use these tools to send out parenting, educational articles or news from individual state education departments. Technology has really changed the way educators interact with their students and parents.
It’s important to make sure that key players (teachers, aides, principals, etc.) know about a message before it goes out so they can answer questions from the community. If these current tools are going to be used, everyone should make sure they’re used correctly. We live in a quick-fix, fast-paced society. Slowing down a message by few minutes will not be the end of the world. If a message is going to go out, it’s important to make sure it goes out right.
Tips:

• Do it right the first time. Communication is not something to check off a list. It involves a message that goes out to the school community. Write it in a Word document and then cut and paste it into an e-mail. It will help ensure that the message is grammatically correct.
• Before any communication goes out to the community at the district or building level, educators should be notified so they can answer questions when parents ask. Many educators live within their community and deserve to be given information first so they can answer questions appropriately.
• If parents do not have access to computers make sure that the school or district offers paper copies. Not all parents should be expected to have computers, especially if they cannot afford them.
• If a school has a Facebook or Twitter account, any communication sent out using those tools should be sent in an e-mail blast as well. Not all parents have Facebook or Twitter accounts but most do have e-mail access.

A Message to Garcia

One of my favorite stories of all time is A Message to Garcia.  I was looking for it this morning and ran across the most wonderful website:  http://www.belikerowan.com/message/
There is some great information--for kids and adults--that I feel we would be wise to incorporate at Esperanza. 

Also, found out that this story has been made into a movie--that I must see. 

English

Although this poem is funny and cute, it is also a reminder why English can be a challenge. 


Vegetarian Poem

Do you carrot all for me?
My heart beets for you.
With your turnip nose
And your radish face,
You are a peach.
If we cantaloupe
Lettuce marry.
Weed make a swell pair.

Anonymous/Folk Rhyme

No Ordinary People

Tad Callister also quoted from C.S. Lewis in his August 14, 2012 BYU Devotional speech that is another reminder of the potential of all those with whom we are associating. 


It is a serious thing," says Lewis, "to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whome we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit -- immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously -- no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner -- no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment."

--C. S. Lewis, From The Weight of Glory.

 

No Ordinary Person

I listened this morning to the BYU Devotional speech by Tad Callister given on August 14, 2012.  He quoted from this poem by Robert Browning that is a reminder that all those who will be associating with us at Esperanza are no ordinary people. 

Rabbi Ben Ezra

Robert Browning

---

Grow old along with me! 
The best is yet to be, 
The last of life, for which the first was made: 
Our times are in his hand 
Who saith, 'A whole I planned, 
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!' 

Not that, amassing flowers, 
Youth sighed, 'Which rose make ours, 
Which lily leave and then as best recall?' 
Not that, admiring stars, 
It yearned, 'Nor Jove, nor Mars; 
Mine be some figured flame which blends, transcends them all!' 

Not for such hopes and fears 
Annulling youth's brief years, 
Do I remonstrate: folly wide the mark! 
Rather I prize the doubt 
Low kinds exist without, 
Finished and finite clods, untroubled by a ark. 

Poor vaunt of life indeed, 
Were man but formed to feed 
On joy, to solely seek and find a feast: 
Such feasting ended, then 
As sure an end to men; 
Irks care the crop-full bird? Frets doubt the maw-crammed beast? 

Rejoice we are allied 
To that which doth provide 
And not partake, effect and not receive! 
A ark disturbs our clod; 
Nearer we hold of God 
Who gives, than of his tribes that take, I must believe. 

Then, welcome each rebuff 
That turns earth's smoothness rough, 
Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand but go! 
Be our joys three-parts pain! 
Strive, and hold cheap the strain; 
Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe! 

For thence,- a paradox 
Which comforts while it mocks,- 
Shall life succeed in that it seems to fail: 
What I a ired to be, 
And was not, comforts me; 
A brute I might have been, but would not sink i' the scale. 

What is he but a brute 
Whose flesh has soul to suit, 
Whose irit works lest arms and legs want play? 
To man, propose this test- 
Thy body at its best, 
How far can that project thy soul on its lone way? 

Yet gifts should prove their use: 
I own the Past profuse 
Of power each side, perfection every turn: 
Eyes, ears took in their dole, 
Brain treasured up the whole; 
Should not the heart beat once 'How good to live and learn'? 

Not once beat 'Praise be thine! 
I see the whole design, 
I, who saw power, see now Love perfect too: 
Perfect I call thy plan: 
Thanks that I was a man! 
Maker, remake, complete,- I trust what thou shalt do!' 

For pleasant is this flesh; 
Our soul, in its rose-mesh 
Pulled ever to the earth, still yearns for rest: 
Would we some prize might hold 
To match those manifold 
Possessions of the brute,- gain most, as we did best! 

Let us not always say, 
' ite of this flesh to-day 
I strove, made head, gained ground upon the whole!' 
As the bird wings and sings, 
Let us cry, 'All good things 
Are ours, nor soul helps flesh more, now, than flesh helps soul!' 

Therefore I summon age 
To grant youth's heritage, 
Life's struggle having so far reached its term: 
Thence shall I pass, approved 
A man, for aye removed 
From the developed brute; a God though in the germ. 

And I shall thereupon 
Take rest, ere I be gone 
Once more on my adventure brave and new: 
Fearless and unperplexed, 
When I wage battle next, 
What weapons to select, what armor to indue. 

Youth ended, I shall try 
My gain or loss thereby; 
Leave the fire ashes, what survives is gold: 
And I shall weigh the same, 
Give life its praise or blame: 
Young, all lay in di ute; I shall know, being old. 

For note, when evening shuts, 
A certain moment cuts 
The deed off, calls the glory from the gray: 
A whi er from the west 
Shoots- 'Add this to the rest, 
Take it and try its worth: here dies another day.' 

So, still within this life, 
Though lifted o'er its strife, 
Let me discern, compare, pronounce at last, 
'This rage was right i' the main, 
That acquiescence vain: 
The Future I may face now I have proved the Past.' 

For more is not reserved 
To man, with soul just nerved 
To act to-morrow what he learns to-day: 
Here, work enough to watch 
The Master work, and catch 
Hints of the proper craft, tricks of the tool's true play. 

As it was better, youth 
Should strive, through acts uncouth, 
Toward making, than repose on aught found made: 
So, better, age, exempt 
From strife, should know, than tempt 
Further. Thou waitedst age: wait death nor be afraid! 

Enough now, if the Right 
And Good and Infinite 
Be named here, as thou callest thy hand thine own, 
With knowledge absolute, 
Subject to no di ute 
From fools that crowded youth, nor let thee feel alone. 

Be there, for once and all, 
Severed great minds from small, 
Announced to each his station in the Past! 
Was I, the world arraigned, 
Were they, my soul disdained, 
Right? Let age eak the truth and give us peace at last! 

Now, who shall arbitrate? 
Ten men love what I hate, 
Shun what I follow, slight what I receive; 
Ten, who in ears and eyes 
Match me; we all surmise, 
They this thing, and I that: whom shall my soul believe? 

Not on the vulgar mass 
Called 'work,' must sentence pass, 
Things done, that took the eye and had the price; 
O'er which, from level stand, 
The low world laid its hand, 
Found straightway to its mind, could value in a trice: 

But all, the world's coarse thumb 
And finger failed to plumb, 
So passed in making up the main account; 
All instincts immature, 
All purposes unsure, 
That weighed not as his work, yet swelled the man's amount: 

Thoughts hardly to be packed 
Into a narrow act, 
Fancies that broke through language and escaped; 
All I could never be, 
All, men ignored in me, 
This, I was worth to God, whose wheel the pitcher shaped. 

Ay, note that Potter's wheel, 
That metaphor! and feel 
Why time ins fast, why passive lies our clay,- 
Thou, to whom fools propound, 
When the wine make its round, 
'Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!' 

Fool! All that is, at all, 
Lasts ever, past recall; 
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure: 
What entered into thee, 
That was, is, and shall be: 
Time's wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure. 

He fixed thee 'mid this dance 
Of plastic circumstance, 
This Present, thou, forsooth, would fain arrest: 
Machinery just meant 
To give thy soul its bent, 
Try thee and turn thee forth, sufficiently impressed. 

What though the earlier grooves, 
Which ran the laughing loves 
Around thy base, no longer pause and press? 
What though, about thy rim, 
Skull-things in order grim 
Grow out, in graver mood, obey the sterner stress? 

Look not thou down but up! 
To uses of a cup, 
The festal board, lamp's flash, and trumpet's peal, 
The new wine's foaming flow, 
The master's lips aglow! 
Thou, heaven's consummate cup, what needst thou with earth's wheel? 

But I need, now as then, 
Thee, God, who moldest men; 
And since, not even while the whirl was worst, 
Did I- to the wheel of life 
With shapes and colors rife, 
Bound dizzily- mistake my end, to slake thy thirst: 

So, take and use thy work: 
Amend what flaws may lurk, 
What strain o' the stuff, what warpings past the aim! 
My times be in thy hand! 
Perfect the cup as planned! 
Let age approve of youth, and death complete the same! 

Postive Phone Calls

Elena Aguilar Transformational Leadership Coach from Oakland, California

Her posting on Edutopia. 

The Power of the Positive Phone Call Home
August 20, 2012

When I first started teaching and was overwhelmed by the demands and complexity of the job, my survival strategy was simply to take all the advice that came my way and implement it. So when my wise mentor suggested that after the first day of school I call all of my second grader's parents, I did so.
In spite of my exhaustion, I called each family and introduced myself. I asked a few questions about their child. I said that their kid had had a good first day. I said I looked forward to working together.
Throughout that year, and the years that followed, I continued this practice -- I had an intuitive feeling that it was key: The positive phone call home. After the first days, as soon as I'd identified the kids who might be challenging, I made it a goal to call home with positive news every week. I'd share this goal with my students, greeting them at the door with something like: "I'm so excited to see you this morning, Oscar! I am going to be watching you really closely today so find some good news to share with your mom this evening. I can't wait to call her and tell her what a good day you had!"
When I taught middle school, this strategy made the difference between an unmanageable group of kids and an easy group. You'd be surprised, perhaps, how desperately an eighth grade boy wants his mom (or dad or grandma or pastor) to get a positive call home. On the first day of school I'd give students a survey that included this question, "Who would you like me to call when I have good news to share about how you're doing in my class? You're welcome to list up to five people. And please let them know I might call -- even tonight or tomorrow!"
First I'd call parents of the kids who I knew would be challenging, those I suspected rarely got positive calls. When an adult answered the phone, I'd say, all in one long breath, "Hi Mrs. ____? I'm calling from ____ middle school with great news about your son, ____. Can I share this news?" If I didn't immediately blurt out the "great news" pieces, sometimes they'd hang up on me or I'd hear a long anxious silence.
Some of these kids were difficult, extremely difficult. However, I was always able to find something sincerely positive about what he or she had done. As the days followed, I kept calling -- "I just wanted to share that today when ____ came into my class he said 'good morning' to me and opened his notebook right away. I knew we'd have a good day!" Sometimes I'd stop in the middle of class and in front of all the students I'd call a parent. The kids loved that. They started begging for me to call their parent too. It was the first choice of reward for good behavior -- "just call my mama and tell her I did good today."
What shocked and saddened me were the parents who would say, "I don't think anyone has ever called me from school with anything positive about my child." I occasionally heard soft sobbing during these calls.
I'd first used this phone call thing as a strategy for managing behavior and building partnerships and it worked. However, after ten years of teaching I became a parent and my feelings shifted into some other universe. As a parent, I now can't think of anything more I want a teacher to do -- just recognize what my boy is doing well, when he's trying, when he's learning, when his behavior is shifting, and share those observations with me.
I know how many hours teachers work. And I also know that a phone call can take three minutes. If every teacher allocated 15 minutes a day to calling parents with good news, the impact could be tremendous. In the long list of priorities for teachers, communicating good news is usually not at the top. But try it -- just for a week -- try calling a few kid's parents (and maybe not just the challenging ones -- they all need and deserve these calls) and see what happens. The ripple effects for the kid, the class, and the teacher might be transformational.

Successful Esperanza Educators and Scholars

A FB friend posted this.  I felt it was a great reminder for us at Esperanza. 

Getting to Know a Colleague

Felt this was a great idea from WeAreTeachers. 

Writing Idea

This great idea was posted by WeAreTeachers on FB. 

Teamwork

A friend posted this on Facebook.  I felt it exemplified that there is nothing we can't accomplish when we work as a team.  :)

Appearances

This is a great reminder whether it is Esperanza educators, scholars, and/or families. 

Learning From Lot's Wife

I listened this morning to the BYU devotional speech that Jeffrey Holland gave on January 13, 2009.  The counsel Elder Holland gave in this talk is a reminder when making Esperanza a reality seems overwhelming and the challenges seem insurmountable. 


http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=1819

Find the Right People

Carlos Linares, a GoodRead friend recommended the book The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews.  I finished reading it yesterday.  Wonderful book!  One thing, among many others, that impressed me was comments made by Abraham Lincoln to the "traveler."

The first was a comment made by Abraham Lincoln about General Grant.

"Because he cares as I do!  It has taken me almost three years to find a general officer whom I don't have to watch over like a nursemaid." 

The second was another comment about Grant and finding the right people. 

"Grant wants to win as badly as I do.  If you are determined to win, you will have to surround yourself with winners.  Don't be discouraged by people you might choose for your team who talk big but produce little.  Grant is my tenth try.  I just kept putting them in the boat to see who wants to paddle as hard as I do." 

Thoughts About Technology At Esperanza

I received the following thoughts from a principal on one of email lists this morning.  Thought there was some great food for thought as we plan Esperanza's technology. 




Not that I’m ancient, but I taught elementary school in the mid-90’s when computers were not in the classroom. Within a couple of years, I received four new computers through a district grant. All the elementary school classrooms were provided the same number of computers, whether teachers were going to use them or not. Many times, the computers went untouched in those classrooms, because contrary to popular belief, not all teachers were going to gravitate to them and they certainly weren’t going to allow their students to turn them on. If they weren’t being used as a decorative classroom item, they were being used as a reward for those students who finished seatwork early.

As life went on, it became popular for schools to have computer labs. I had a classroom next to the lab and although teachers had designated time to use it, they very often never went to the lab with their students. Unfortunately, when teachers did use the lab, it was to allow students to play games. I watched as very few teachers interacted with students.

In the school where I am a principal we do not have a computer lab. We opted out of having one in favor of having five computers in each classroom. Teachers are able to use the computers for center-based learning. Over the past couple of years the district has invested in Smartboards for each classroom and we have also invested in netbooks for grade levels so that more students can use technology at the same time. Technology shouldn’t be a place where students go, it should be a tool/resource that they use naturally every day, so we try to make it as accessible as possible.

Reading for Real

This is a must get book! 

Product Details

• Author: Kathy Collins
• Year: 2008
• Grade Range: K-3

• Media: 240 pp/paper
• ISBN: 978-157110-703-9
• Item No.: WET-0703

Take two to four kids, give them a basket of books that go together in some way, and then provide time for them to read, think, and talk together about their ideas, their questions, their wonderings. That's the simple recipe for a reading club, and Kathy Collins demonstrates the powerful results in her new book, Reading for Real. She writes, "The reading clubs I describe are a formal structure providing students with time to read and talk about books with a high level of engagement, purpose, and joy."

Just as adults join clubs to share and talk about common interests, reading clubs allow kids to immerse themselves in topics and ideas they care about -- whether it's turtles, fairy tales, a beloved author, a favorite new series, or the desire to get better at reading aloud to a baby brother or sister. While they are reading and talking about their interests and passions, students in reading clubs are also orchestrating all of the reading skills and strategies they've learned and applying them in real-life ways.

The book offers step-by-step support for implementing these classroom reading clubs, including:

• specific suggestions for planning cycles of reading clubs;
• detailed charts with a variety of teaching ideas that can be implemented immediately;
• ideas for mini-lessons and examples of reading conferences to support students as they learn strategies and hone their reading and discussion skills;
• suggestions for differentiating instruction;
• support for launching and fostering reading partnerships across the year;
• appendixes with examples of note-taking sheets and sample planning guides for several kinds of reading clubs.

While Kathy presents ideas for implementing reading clubs during reading workshop in a balanced literacy framework, the information she provides will be helpful for any teacher who wants to foster the joy of reading by offering students support and opportunities to read for authentic purposes and to have conversations about topics that interest and engage them. After all, we don't just want kids to learn to read, we want them to love to read.

Ten Phrases Every Leader Should Use

“I made a mistake.”
“I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sure.”
“I don’t know.”
“Would you help me?”
“Could you help me understand? I’m not sure I get it.”
“What do you think?”
“What do you suggest?”
“What would you do?”

This great counsel came from my valued mentor, Kevin Eikenberry. 

Humor Bulletin Board

Dolly Case had both of these posted on FB this morning.  I feel it would be great if we had a bulletin board in the Esperanza teacher lounge where we could post jokes such as these.  We might consider having one for Esperanza scholars, too.

One more that Kelly King shared:

The Grass Is Greener Where You Water It

This is a continuation of the previous post that comes from "Feed Blitz." 



 Instead of attacking weeds with chemicals there is a man who uses an organic mixture that “creates an environment where the good grass can grow healthy and strong.” This allows the grass to grow and spread to the point that the weeds get crowded out and can no longer grow.

What does this “organic mixture” look like in schools? For the adults, this is building on teachers’ strengths, creating an environment in which teachers are constantly learning together and from each other. Teachers share new ideas, or read some of the same books together, and even observe each other’s classrooms to help improve the teaching and learning in their own classrooms. For students this is also building on strengths and positives, versus focusing on wrongdoings and consequences. For many schools this is being done through PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) or character development programs or the "Bucket Fillers" theme focusing on praising others and celebrating successes. 

I definitely want to read the book and accept the challenge to take a Complaining Fast.  I'll start with just a day and then try a week of No Complaining!  I'll focus on the things I “get to do” instead of “have to do” and turn my complaints into solutions.

No Complaining Rule

The above and this info came from my new email listserve--"Feed Blitz" for "Connected Principals." 

Jon Gordon's books are quick reads, but always inspirational with powerful, positive messages.  One of his books is:


Who doesn’t encounter issues of complaining, whether it’s your spouse, a colleague or even yourself?
Complaining is very prevalent, however, the negativity it spreads is like cancer. In Gordon’s book, he shares the cost of negativity:

• Negativity costs the U.S. economy between $250 to $300 billion every year in lost productivity according to the Gallup Organization.
• 90% of doctor visits are stress related, according to the CDC, and the #1 cause of office stress is coworkers and their complaining, according to Truejobs.com
• A study found that negative employees can scare off every customer they speak with–for good (How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath).
• Too many negative interactions compared to positive interactions at work can decrease the productivity of a team, according to Barbara Frederickson’s research at the University of michigan.
• One negative person can create a miserable office environment for everyone else.

Unseen Aid

I listened this morning to the BYU devotional speech given by Donald Parry on July 31, 2012.  In his speech he quoted from Henry B. Eyring's speech "O Ye That Embark" given October 2008.  This quote had a great impact on me.

"I know that the promise of angels to bear us up is real. You might want to bring to memory the assurance of Elisha to his frightened servant. That assurance is ours when we feel close to being overwhelmed in our service. Elisha faced real and terrible opposition:

“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”²

Like that servant of Elisha, there are more with you than those you can see opposed to you. Some who are with you will be invisible to your mortal eyes. The Lord will bear you up and will at times do it by calling others to stand with you."

This reinforces what Price Pritchett says in his book, You2, a favorite book of mine.  He says that once we set our vision, unseen aid will come to us to help us achieve it. 

Great Advice for the Principal

I felt these 15 suggestions were great suggestions!


1. Meet with all of your staff in the summer.
I’ve found the best way to discover the true flavor of your building is to simply listen to the players who make up the school. Do not offer advice but take good notes and let your new teachers, paraprofessionals, specialists, office crew, kitchen staff, and custodians all give their perspective on what is working and what is not. In one of my Principalships, I tabulated the results of my interviews (kindly santized without criticism of individuals) and it became a component of my goals for that year and a major topic at the opening staff meeting. These actions validated the opinions of all of the staff.
2. Honor the history of your school.
As a new Principal in my mid-30′s I thought that I had it all figured out and that the veteran teachers were nice people but not privy to the latest in pedagogy. That may or may not be true with your “vets” but they do hold the history of your building and the culture that binds the school together. Sure, there will be changes that need to be made over time but earn your respect in the short term so that you will have influence in the long run.
3. Identify the major players and support them.
Find those teachers who have passion, a hunger for knowledge, and an ability to take measured risks and give them all the support they may need. Perhaps the best support is your confirming words. But while you do this, be careful to…
4….be fair to all.
This will be difficult. It’s only natural to spend more time with those who share your philosophy, simply match your personality, or those you can trust. But it’s crucial to be seen as even handed. One former Principal colleague of mine lost her job over time because she was seen as having favorites. Thus, while humanly difficult, it is important to…
5. Be kind, caring, and respectful in all of your relationships and be willing to apologize.
While cliche, relationships really do matter. Too many leaders are afraid to look weak and thus apologies are rare. Asking for forgiveness and being forgiven is a sign of strength for both parties and usually leads to respect and healing. In your first year, don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong while holding your ground respectfully when you’re not.
6. Focus on school and classroom culture.
I am surprised that more pre-service teacher programs don’t highlight the enormous importance of classroom management for success. One of the most popular and proven approaches in this area, Responsive Classrooms, has conducted research that shows the unsurprising link between the culture in one’s classroom and academic achievement. Spend time with your new teachers and help them succeed with their management. Be visible in the hallways, cafeteria and playground.
7. Budget
Like your facility, do not leave the responsibility and knowledge of your budget to others. This includes the student activity accounts as more Principals are fired due to mismanagement of these accounts that any other reason. Have your administrative assistant regularly check the line items so that you don’t grow short in any area. Also, ensure that you legitimately spend what you have budgeted. It’s not good to have have large overages toward the end of your fiscal year as this is a sign that you didn’t need this funding anyway.
8. Grow some leather.
When I was in the classroom, I had few enemies. It appeared that everyone liked me. I was cool enough and became close friends with many of my colleagues. As soon as I became a Principal I found that the teflon began to crack and that my decisions had a larger affect on my co-workers and their lives. I couldn’t make everyone happy anymore and this was difficult at first. Angry at me? I’m a nice guy! I soon realized that I had to grow a bit of leather and be content with making the right decisions, maintaining my respect for all, and understanding that I will be unpopular at times.
9. Get to know your facility.
I was not blessed with fix-it skills. Just ask my wife. Yet, I have learned the wisdom of knowing what makes your physical plant tick. Do you know where all of the electrical panels are? Where are the shut off valves? What areas of your building are most needing repair? What’s the status of your maintenance plan? I guarantee you, while the Business Administrator or Facilities Director may have responsibility for your facility, no one will care as much or advocate as well as the Principal.
10. Set fewer and more succinct goals in Year 1.
Your vision for the school won’t be met in one year. Don’t kill your staff with initiatives in year 1 but set goals that can be met with an eye to 3-5 years for longer term goals.
11. Model great practice.
Be sure that your staff sees you as a learner. When you communicate by written word, include a professional article. Staff meetings should be professional development sessions not informational diatribes. Lift up great practices from your passionate teachers. Reflect the power of social media and web 2.0.
12. Keep your Superintendent in the loop.
Earning the trust of your Superintendent is crucial in your first year. If you make a mistake, admit it to your Sup long before the public or the press find out. As one Superintendent told me, “I don’t like surprises”.
13. Communicate well with your staff and community.
Find your best methods. Utilize podcasts, vodcasts, blogs, email lists, and don’t neglect paper when necessary if digital means aren’t working as well as you’d like (especially with the community.) One of the greatest factors in leadership success is communicating one’s vision clearly and consistently.
14. Find a mentor.
The Principalship can be a lonely place. If you are in a smaller elementary school you may not have an Assistant Principal, and in that case, you may be an “only”. In addition to tapping your PLN, be sure to find other administrators in your district or outside your area to be there when you have a critical question or simply need to vent. A former Superintendent and Principal of mine were life savers for me in my early years.
15. Schedule yourself to be with students.
Always be out front when the kids arrive and be there when they leave. Ride buses. Play hoop at recess. Walk around and chat with kids during lunch. Get to their competitions outside of school. Play chess with them in your office and modify the stigma of the “Principal’s Office”. Ask them questions during your classroom walk-throughs. Read to them and have them read to you. Let them know that they are the most important part of your school life.
My career as a Principal has been exceedingly rewarding. Working together with my colleagues, we change the world every day. Learn from everyone, even when it doesn’t seem possible. Exercise, eat well, and get plenty of sleep. Forewarn those you love that you will be searching for a new balance in your life and to be patient.
It really is a great job.
What should be added to this list? Any other advice for Kevin?
Cross-posted at Principal Reflections, Bill’s personal blog. You can also find him on Twitter at @wcarozza.

Know What You Want

From Kevin Eikenberry on August 10, 2012.



"Unless you know what you want, you can’t ask for it.”- Emma Albani world famous soprano

Questions to Ponder

• Do you know what you want?
• Do you have a very clear picture of it?
• Why do you want it?
• Have you asked for it?

Action Steps

1. Decide what you really want.
2. Get specific and clear about it.
3. Ask for it!
4. Take action each day to move you in the direction of what you want.

"Thank You"

August 9, 2012

The Internet Newspaper: News, Blogs, Video, Community

American Anthropological Association

World's largest organization of individuals interested in anthropology

School and Self Esteem, or: Thank You for Making Those Socks!

Posted: 08/07/2012 11:51 am

Written by Elisa (EJ) Sobo

I saw my first back-to-school ad last night, and thought "already?" But in truth I think about school all the time: I'm a medical anthropologist studying Waldorf education. My focus is on pre-K through grade 3. My concern is healthy child development.
If you've heard anything about Waldorf schools, it might be that Waldorf students play outside a lot and even in the rain, or that classrooms have chalk boards still, and hardly any computers. You may know, too, that academic lessons don't start until children are seven. I knew all that when my study began. What shocked me instead was a palpable lack of recognizable "positive reinforcement." It surprised me not to hear the teachers say "good job."
Anthropologists often look for, and try to explain, cross-cultural differences. In other settings, adults reward children with "good job" regularly. I'd learned as a parent myself that saying "good job" helps cultivate self-esteem which, I'd been told, is crucial to life success. I'd heard coaches, teachers, and day-care workers praising their charges for even small accomplishments (and sometimes non-accomplishments as well).
I've started doing it too, in undergraduate teaching. The students seem to need it, perhaps due to having been raised in a culture where, as the Dodo said to Alice, "everybody has won, and all must have prizes" (Carroll 1865, Chapter 3). If anything today's students seem to have less real self-esteem than the prior generation.
But "good job" was not part of the discourse at the Waldorf school where I did my research. In fact the teachers hardly ever gave overt kudos of any kind to the children -- at least not that I could recognize initially.
A search through my field notes revealed that the closest anyone got to saying "good job" within my earshot in those first weeks was when two boys, each about four years of age, had tied some chairs together and to some cabinet handles (they were taming a dragon, or some such). The boys created quite a tangle, and then moved on to other pursuits. During clean-up time, prior to taking the class outside, the teacher announced "I need an expert electrician to come and unhook the power lines." One of the boys came over and she left him to it while helping other children with coats and shoes. This done, she walked back to the boy-electrician, who seemed to have succeeded in getting out the toughest knot: "Oh, you did it!" she called with a smile.
This congratulation may seem paltry compared to the gushing "good job" kind of stroke we are so used to hearing. But the teacher followed up with another two bits of reinforcement, adding, "You're almost done. Thank you!"
I confess, I did not see that last bit as important until I mentioned my impression to another teacher later. "Oh, no!" she replied with concern, pointing out that she and the other teachers always thanked children when they did what was needed, whether during clean up time, meal or snack time, craft time, or in outdoor play. This teacher, and others when asked, knew that their students were receiving the kind of positive reinforcement necessary for healthy development.
Here's an example of a thanks given en masse; it's from a second grade painting class. A child, noting a reddish shape emerging in the teacher's sample of the assignment, called out, "it's a mango!" The teacher, unhappy at this interruption, said only, "Thank you to all of you who are not calling out. You are maybe thinking something in your head but you are not calling out to ruin things for your neighbor. That is very polite."
Authentic gratitude is enough of an acknowledgment to foster self-esteem without leading to the kind of dependency on others that "good job" seems to do. In saying "thank you," a teacher says to a child "I see you. I see that you are doing something positive." In an ideal world, that kind of acknowledgment is all that is needed for the seeds of self-esteem and self-confidence to take root and grow in a healthy, non-narcissistic direction. Children cultivated toward dependence on external praise through constant positive stroking are at risk for growing into poorly-adjusted adults who must always look to others for approval. They never have a chance to develop their own internal resources.
In fifth grade or thereabouts, students at many Waldorf schools must knit a pair of socks. They figure out a pattern by inspecting a model sock that the teacher provides. Then, they work to produce a wearable pair. There are many reasons given for this assignment but the one I want to highlight here is that knitting a pair of socks (not an easy task!) means figuring things out, managing frustration, and surmounting challenges. It's no coincidence that the students here must not only make one sock but then -- having just managed to get through that -- they have to go back and repeat the struggle over to complete the second. The main point is not learning to knit per se, but the sense of accomplishment that comes with it. If students learn that they can make their own socks (grow their own food, build their own computers, etc.), they also have learned that there isn't much that they cannot do. In learning of this kind, students self-produce self-esteem.
This evening, my son and I plan to wash all the window screens. I won't say "good job," if I can help it -- but I will say "thank you" when we are done. Making socks? That comes later.
Elisa (EJ) Sobo is a professor of anthropology at San Diego State University. She is on the editorial boards of Anthropology & Medicine and Medical Anthropology and she is the Book Reviews Editor for Medical Anthropology Quarterly. She has served as an elected member of the Society for Medical Anthropology's executive board and is presently co-chair of the American Anthropological Association's Committee on Public Policy.
Dr. Sobo has written numerous peer-reviewed journal articles as well having authored, co-authored, and co-edited twelve books on various topics. Her latest books are Dynamics of Human Biocultural Diversity: A Unified Approach (forthcoming), The Cultural Context of Health, Illness, and Medicine (2010), and Culture and Meaning in Health Services Research (2009).
Dr. Sobo's current projects include a study exploring cultural models of child development as applied in classroom teaching, particularly in the Waldorf or Steiner education system. Findings from that study inspired this essay.

Books for First Day (Or Any Other Day!)

Our Esperanza board chair, Patricia Matthews, gave me a $10 check in behalf of Juan Freire, another board member, to buy a "birthday book" for our Esperanza library.  Even though Crisantemo (Chrysanthemum) isn't written by an authentic Hispanic author, the message of this book that a person's name is so important, I've decided to buy this book with the $10 donation.

One Weak Chain

Yesterday we interviewed three architectural firms for Esperanza.  We eliminated our favorite firm because of one weak link.  They had three presenters.  We were so IMPRESSED with two of the presenters, one being a Latino who had such great insights about the Latino flair we wanted in the design of our school.  Yet, the third presenter with whom we would be working most closely presented so poorly we just couldn't feel comfortable going with their firm.  It is so sad that they lost out because of this one person, but often that is the way it is. 

This experience was a great reminder that everyone associated with Esperanza represents Esperanza, and we can't afford for anyone to be a weak link. 

Latino Families and Cell Phone Usage

Engaging Hispanic students’ parents through mobile technology

VOXXI News Monday, August 6, 2012

[The following is an excerpt from this article]

Research suggests mobile as a solution

Many schools have worked tirelessly to find ways to increase engagement with the Hispanic population, such as offering translators and materials in Spanish. Though these resources help, there still appears to be a gap which suggests more information is needed for Hispanics about American school culture and expectations.
A recent study conducted by the Center suggests mobile may be a good option for strengthening the home-school connection for Hispanics. According to the report, over half of all Latino families now have at least one smartphone in their homes.
Additionally, the National Center for Family Literacy had the following to say about Latino families and cell phone usage:

“Mobile access is exploding with 60 percent of Latino households owning at least one smartphone, compared to 43 percent of non-Latinos (Nielsen, 2012). Moreover, 78 percent of Latinos report using text messaging on a daily basis. Such growth suggests that new media are increasingly effective channels for reaching this population.”

Using mobile technology to bridge the gap

In light of these reports, some communities have formulated plans for utilizing mobile to reach out, engage and educate Latino parents on American school culture and expectations while also providing valuable educational resources.

Mobile technology has become a useful tool for educators to keep in touch with the parents of Hispanic students. (Photo by Shutterstock)

A notable school which has seen highly positive results from using mobile is the Think College Now Elementary School in Oakland, California. At this school nearly 100 percent of students are living at or below the poverty line, and two-thirds are Latino. The school has observed the prevalence of mobile devices in the homes of Latino students and has begun leveraging them as tools for engagement.
To help educate and engage Latino families, the school offers educational videos, in both English and Spanish, from the series Bound, created by Great Schools. These videos are short and animated, featuring valuable information about how parents can support their children’s education, both in and out of the classroom. The videos also teach parents how to handle various issues, such as a child who won’t go to sleep on time on a school night. Additionally, the school is sending out reading tips through text messages to families.
Think College Now Elementary School has seen increased engagement on the part of immigrant parents since providing access to these films and texts, suggesting mobile is a solution schools should consider to bridge the gap and reach those who otherwise may be left behind.
According to the CEO of Great Schools, Bill Jackson “We don’t want to preach to them [parents] about what they should do. Parents are already doing a lot. Instead we offer them a place to get information, inspiration and social support they are seeking to raise children who will succeed in school and emerge ready for the world.”
Though the impact of using mobile to reach Latino families has yet to be quantified, it is safe to say, this form of communication is worth considering to meet the needs of this growing population.
The following resources were used in development of this article:

• Livingston, Gretchen, “Latinos and Digital Technology, 2010,” Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C. (February 9, 2011).

• Sparks, S. (2009). Teacher ambassador urges more ELL parent involvement. EducationDaily, 42 (101).

• Turney, K. & Kao, G. (2009). Barriers to school involvement: Are immigrant parents disadvantaged? The Journal of Educational Research, 102: (4), 257-271.

Read more: http://www.voxxi.com/parents-hispanic-students-mobile-technology/#ixzz22qxUSgm6

Another Way to Display Books

It has been fun to find more ways to display books---beyond rain gutters!  I know that it takes up more room but whenever we can find ways to display books with the front of the books showing, so much the better.  Magazine racks would be great to use for this purpose. 

Three Gates

I listened this morning to the BYU Devotional Speech that Pres. Thomas S. Monson gave on November 14, 2006.  He talked about three gates that we need to open in order to be successful:
Gate #1:  Preparation
Gate #2:  Performance
Gate #3:  Service
I feel these three gates could be important mottos for Esperanza--both for our educators and our scholars. 

Relationships, Not Brainpower

 

 

This important to keep in mind. 

 

 

Stephen Krashen

Early relationships, not brainpower, key to adult happiness
Social connection is a more important route to adult well-being than academic ability

Positive social relationships in childhood and adolescence are key to adult well-being, according to Associate Professor Craig Olsson from Deakin University and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia, and his colleagues. In contrast, academic achievement appears to have little effect on adult well-being. The exploratory work, looking at the child and adolescent origins of well-being in adulthood, is published online in Springer's Journal of Happiness Studies.

...

We know very little about how aspects of childhood and adolescent development, such as academic and social-emotional function, affect adult well-being - defined here as a combination of a sense of coherence, positive coping strategies, social engagement and self-perceived strengths.

Olsson and team analysed data for 804 people followed up for 32 years, who participated in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (DMHDS) in New Zealand. They explored the relative importance of early academic and social pathways to adult well-being.

In particular, they measured the relationship between level of family disadvantage in childhood, social connectedness in childhood, language development in childhood, social connectedness in adolescence, academic achievement in adolescence and well-being in adulthood. Social connectedness in childhood is defined by the parent and teacher ratings of the child being liked, not being alone, and the child's level of confidence. Social connectedness in adolescence is demonstrated by social attachments (parents, peers, school, confidant) and participation in youth groups and sporting clubs.

The researchers found, on the one hand, a strong pathway from child and adolescent social connectedness to adult well-being. This illustrates the enduring significance of positive social relationships over the lifespan to adulthood. On the other hand, the pathway from early language development, through adolescent academic achievement, to adult well-being was weak, which is in line with existing research showing a lack of association between socioeconomic prosperity and happiness.

The analyses also suggest that the social and academic pathways are not intimately related to one another, and may be parallel paths.

The authors conclude: "If these pathways are separate, then positive social development across childhood and adolescence requires investments beyond development of the academic curriculum."

Reference

Olsson C et al (2012). A 32-year longitudinal study of child and adolescent pathways to well-being in adulthood. Journal of Happiness Studies; DOI 10.1007/s10902-012-9369-8

Summer Olympics Inspiration

Many young girls--especially young black girls--will be inspired because of the accomplishment of Gabby Douglas.  Gabby's story is an inspiration for all of us.  It is also a reminder that we want to expose our Esperanza scholars to achievers who look like them. 

Rewards

Study Finds Timing of Student Rewards Key to Effectiveness

By Sarah D. Sparks

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

 

Reward programs have a long tradition in classrooms—think of gold stars and perfect attendance certificates—but direct-incentive programs have had lackluster effects at improving student achievement. New research on student motivation suggests that the timing and format of several of these high-profile programs may explain some of their inconsistent results.

 

The new findings come in a working paper published this summer by the National Bureau of Economic Research. A team of researchers from the University of Chicago, the University of California, San Diego, and the Center for European Economic Research in Mannheim, Germany conducted a series of six experiments in three low-performing Chicago-area districts: Bloom Township, Chicago Heights, and Chicago. Steven D. Levitt, a University of Chicago economist and the author of the 2009 William Morrow book Super Freakonomics, led the study.

From 2009 to 2011, the researchers repeatedly scheduled low-stakes diagnostic tests of students in elementary and middle school as well as 10th graders. The students were not told about the potential reward until just before the second test; the researchers measured the incentives’ effect on students’ test-taking, not their long-term effort in learning the material.

Some students were promised no reward; others, either a trophy, $10, or $20 in cash given either immediately or a month afterward.

The team found younger students could be wooed by a trophy as easily as by money, but for older students, researchers only saw improvement with cold, hard cash.

Lost Rewards Motivated

Moreover, the rewards worked much better if they were given to students before the test, not after. In these cases, a researcher gave the students the trophy (for younger students) or the money (for older ones) and asked them to sign a form saying they had received it and asking them to write briefly about what they would do with it.
“It was interesting because it wasn’t that they worked harder because they desperately needed the money, but more that there was mental accounting going on,” said Sally Sadoff, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of management and strategy at UC-San Diego.

Researchers found students worked significantly harder to keep what they had than they did to win something new. They outperformed students working to earn cash or a trophy by as much as .17 of a standard deviation. In this context, the improvement was as great an effect as cutting class size by a third or greatly increasing the quality of the teacher, according to the study.

 

“People value something more when they have it already and they are at risk of losing it than when they don’t have it yet and it’s something to gain,” Ms. Sadoff said.“The trophy is something they can hold in their hands; it made it more salient.”
Boys were more easily prodded to greater effort through the incentives than girls.

Timing Is Critical

But none of the incentives worked at any age if students knew they wouldn’t get the reward for a month. “All motivating power of the incentives vanishes when rewards are handed out with a delay,” the researchers concluded.

Prior research has shown that all people value rewards less the longer they have to wait for them, and children and teenagers are even more impatient. “Especially among children, the difference between right now and tomorrow is a big difference,” Ms. Sadoff said. “For all students it’s important that the reward be immediate.”



That impatience creates a massive problem for incentive programs based on state test results, which can often take months to turn around.

“The incentives for education in general are really long-delayed,” Ms. Sadoff said. “The returns come often after a student graduates, which is really long in the future for most of these students.”

This tendency may help to explain the very mixed results in a comprehensive study of four separate incentive programs conducted by Harvard University economist Ronald G. Fryer, Jr. In that 2011 study, Mr. Fryer found paying students to improve on standardized tests had no effect, but paying students to read related books and take quizzes on them significantly improved the students’ performance on later tests. Mr. Fryer did not return repeated requests for comment.

Alexandra M. Usher, a senior research assistant at the Washington-based Center on Education Policy, said the findings echo the CEP’s own study of student motivation. “It’s really important to reward inputs, not outputs,” Ms. Usher said. “It’s important to reward behavior that kids can control, rather than just telling them to get better grades.”

 

The findings may also suggest that policymakers should consider small-scale incentive programs rather than a large overarching program, Ms. Usher said. “It would be difficult to do a big federal policy that puts into place an incentive program everywhere,” she said. “So much of the program’s effectiveness depends on how well it’s tailored to a specific population. So much depends on how well you implement the program and how well you design it.”

 

Ms. Sadoff said the researchers are in the process of studying whether it may be more effective to allow teachers to choose two students each week to be awarded the money, to both tailor the incentives better and shorten the time frame between action and reward.

Volume 31, Issue 37

Professional Organizations

A few years ago I read the book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam.  It was a reminder of the many benefits belonging to a group can be--personally as well as for the community. 

I have belonged to a number of professional organizations throughout my professional career, some better than others.  Yet, belonging to these organizations helped me to realize that my "cause" was bigger than my limited world.  I learned so much from others how to do my job better. 

I would strongly encourage all our Esperanza educators to choose at least one professional organization to join that will widen their horizons...and then not only take from that organization, but also think of ways to contribute to it. 

Technology Is Not a Silver Bullet

Opinion: Technology is a tool, not silver bullet, to bridge Latino education gap

by Elianne Ramos

7:38 am on 07/27/2012

When it comes to education, in spite of some refreshing news lately, Latino youth present a well documented and very troubling picture. On average, Hispanic students tend to perform far below their peers, have the highest dropout rates, and have the lowest college completion rates. This disheartening fact has enormous consequences for our community and the country, in a world that demands more and more education, particularly in technology and science-related fields.
In light of the Department of Education’s recent announcement of an ambitious plan to get digital textbooks and tablets into the hands of all students in five years, one certainly hopes that Latino kids – who still lag in broadband access at home – are not the ones lost in the shuffle once schools begin adopting technology more widely.
At the risk of sounding overly optimistic, the high mobile adoption levels in the Latino community may offer hope that the digital divide could be moving beyond the classic access issue. While the topic is certainly more complex than word count would permit to analyze here, the question bears asking: could it be that technology can help bridge the Latino education gap?
One organization, the National Center for Family Literacy, seems to think so. Since 1989, the Center has helped more than one million families make educational and economic progress by pioneering – and continuously improving – family literacy programs.
“The digital divide has become more about ability to utilize and understand; the access challenge is now more about consistent access, as broadband has expanded and many community locations such as libraries and even churches offer access,” says Emily Kirkpatrick, vice president of NCFL.
But the problem seems to run a bit deeper. Multiple reports, including this one from the Association for Middle Level Education Parent Involvement as well as NCFL’s own research, point to an additional factor: parental involvement in school is directly correlated to higher grade point averages. NCFL believes more focus should be given to family vs. individual student literacy because, says Kirkpatrick, “family literacy provides millions of parents with additional skills and support they need to move toward success for themselves and their children.”
Looking to harness the potential that technology offers to help engage Latino families, the NCFL has created a series of bilingual online tools, including a Spanish toolkit to navigate the college application process and fotonovelas to help Spanish-speaking families prepare for school. For kids, they developed Wonderopolis, a site aimed to prompt discovery, creativity and imagination through fun activities, and even a free virtual camp, Camp What A Wonder, to help kids continue learning during the summer months.
While technology and gaming can undoubtedly create opportunities to engage students and families, the truth is, a silver-bullet approach won’t work to close the enormous gap between Latino students and their peers.
Ms. Kirkpatrick agrees that there needs to be ”a vision for learning that spans place (school, home, community centers and learning on the go) as well as a variety of approaches – formal and informal.”
In other words, the ability to incorporate the educational opportunities that technology promises may help level the playing field if, and only if, it is not used as a solution in isolation but rather as a tool to address core educational challenges. Beyond simply providing access, a new technology-based classroom must include the components of parental involvement, trained and skillful teachers, and clear paths for implementation and evaluation.
As Ms. Kirkpatrick concludes, “we need to view the situation as building an ecosystem for education and learning.” An ecosystem, one hopes, that helps bring our kids up-to-par not only with their fellow American students, but with the rest of the world.

Elianne Ramos is Principal/CEO of Speak Hispanic Marketing and Vice-Chair, Marketing and PR for Latinos in Social Media (LATISM). Under LATISM, she is also Chief Editor of the LATISM blog, and hostess to weekly Twitter chats reaching over 18.8 million impressions. Follow her on Twitter @ergeekgoddess.