The Middle of the Race

This weekend members of our cross-country team ran at the State Finals. Coach Winter asked me to address the team Friday, which I was happy to do. Among my many coaching experiences, I spent ten years coaching track and field. One of the things I always stressed to my athletes was running the middle of the race with a special intensity. Most runners can start with energy, and when the finish line is in sight, most can finish hard. Many, many races are won (and lost) in the middle.

 

As I told the kids, a great analogy is the school year. At the beginning of the year, everyone excitedly shops for the special school supplies that are going to keep them organized and on top of their classes. That special Trapper Keeper, the new laptop or tablet, the color coded notebooks and pens - all start to go by the wayside for many students when we enter the fourth or fifth week of school. Then, at the end of a grading period, every student puts on a frantic finish. They cram at the end of the goal or marking period, beg for extra credit, and try to squeeze every last point out of their teachers. Almost everyone starts well and finishes hard, it's the time in between that defines success.

 

As we reach the end of this year's first goal, it's a good reminder that we are entering the "middle" of this school year's "race". Now is the time for students to bear down, make an extra effort, and really become engaged in what is happening in each of their classes. Often, the race is won in the middle...

2020 Vision

Historically, predicting the future of education in America has been pretty simple. Looking into a crystal ball and predicting "more of the same" for the schooling of children in this country would have been a pretty safe, and pretty lucrative, way to make a living over time. Nevertheless, we are now in a time of unprecedented change in the way instruction is being delivered, and in the ways in which it will be delivered in the future. Detroit Country Day School will be a leading voice in shaping the best practices in the educational future of our country and the world.

 

During the 2012/2013 school year, DCDS began laying the groundwork for building a new Strategic Plan for all aspects of the school's future. We started with the surveying of faculty and staff, then students and parents, and finally kicked off Strategic Planning in the fall with back to school meetings that involved members of the Board of Trustees, our school administration, and all faculty and staff. Our goal is to create a vision and a plan for the execution of that vision that will carry us through the year 2020. The working vision statement is to "Be the globally recognized leader in innovative educational excellence", and various stakeholder groups of the school are working together to build the plan that will support that vision.

 

During a lunch meeting today, members of the board, our Headmaster, the leadership of each academic division of the school, and the teacher members of the Curriculum Leadership Council (CLC) met to discuss our plans and goals for the academic pillar of our school. The level of engagement demonstrated by our board, administration, faculty and staff has been tremendous in the planning process, and today was no exception. As we worked to build a vision of what our school will be in the year 2020 and beyond, it was immediately clear that the schools of tomorrow will not closely resemble the schools of yesterday. DCDS will be a leader in shaping the new future of education in the world.

 

More than ever in the history of the world, we must prepare our students to be global citizens. The world is more connected, or "flatter", than ever, and preparing students to be productive citizens of such a world presents unique challenges. We must prepare students to creatively solve problems which we cannot yet imagine. We must prepare students to not only use technology, but to build and create new technologies. We mustn't lose sight of our obligation to one another as humans, and to our planet, and sustainability of our resources - both human and otherwise, will be of critical importance. Our 2020 Vision is for a school that does all those things and more, without compromising the values and traditions that make Country Day unique.

 

The soothsayer looks into the future to see what will happen to us, the visionaries look into the future to shape it. At DCDS our goal is to build an innovative instructional environment that maintains traditional values. Traditional values and innovative instructional excellence will shape a new model for delivering instruction that will sustain our school, our nation and the world. That's having "20/20" vision...

Diversity, shmersity....we're all the same???

The first thing that struck me as really unique about Detroit Country Day School was the amazing diversity of the student population. On my first visit to the school I was fascinated not only by the many different cultures and ethnicities represented, but by the seamless integration of students of different religious and cultural backgrounds. Although we sometimes refer to ourselves as being in the protective "bubble" of DCDS, in reality our students have an opportunity to experience the world as it is outside the protective confines of our school - a melting pot of religions, cultures, ideas and world views. Given all of this, I was interested recently while meeting with a DCDS alum who told me that really all of our students have one thing in common.

While our school is sometimes thought of as the "athletics" school, the "arts" school, or as the "math and science" school, when I was having lunch with our art department and DCDS alum Jeremy Sasson ('03), he told us that really all of our kids are the same in one way - someone in their life cares deeply about their education, and cares enough to make sure they have access to Country Day. That idea really resonated with me, as I see the commitment our famlies make to this school. While our students come from different places, different economic circumstances, and different world views, the one thing they do have in common is that someone in their lives cared enough to support them attending this amazing school. Unfortunately, not all young people in our country or the world can say that they have an influence in their life willing to make that kind of commitment. Aside from their own drive and aptitude, and the resources of this school, perhaps the most important ingredient to the success of our students is the support they get that allows them to attend DCDS.

In a world where we often focus on what makes us different, it's refreshing to search for those things we have in common. At least at DCDS, it's a great reminder that despite our superficial differences, a fundamental similarity is the belief in the power a quality education has to influence the course of lives.

Virtual Desktop

Years ago Detroit Country Day School was one of the first schools in the state and the nation to introduce a “1:1” laptop program that required every student to have a laptop to access the internet, to create original work, and to facilitate student use of proprietary software programs that were part of our curriculum. We are proud to announce that for the 2013-2014 school year, DCDS is again leading the way in technology innovation with the next iteration of that program, our new “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) program utilizing a virtual desktop will provide greater freedom of choice for students and families, give greater accessibility to DCDS email and file storage, and effectively transform a wide variety of devices into tools that can be used to facilitate student learning.

This school year, the DCDS technology committee studied our laptop program and a variety of options and developing technology delivery systems. A few themes emerged as important to our faculty, students and families – efficiency, cost effectiveness, flexibility, and access. Our technology committee has unanimously endorsed the virtual desktop concept that effectively allows almost any device that accesses the internet to have the full functionality of a high powered laptop by accessing our virtual desktop. The virtual desktop is in the form of an icon that will be installed on student devices. When clicked on, the virtual desktop opens, giving the student full access to all programs and online resources necessary for DCDS students. The virtual desktop includes the entire Microsoft Office suite of applications, various proprietary software used by our faculty in their courses, full online access via our wireless internet, allows for remote access of all DCDS files saved on our server by students, and is fully protected by our firewalls and security systems.

The virtual desktop allows students to truly “Bring Their Own Devices”. Students can choose the device and platform that best suits them. There is no need for the purchase of expensive software suites, as DCDS has purchased licensing for that software through our virtual desktop. During our trials, we tested various laptops and tablets. For example, we tested our current laptops, and new devices such as the Microsoft Surface tablet, the ipad and ipad mini, and the Google Chromebook. All performed seamlessly with the virtual desktop application, and the virtual desktop gives greater functionality to these devices. For example, although ipads do not support Flash video in normal configuration, when a user accesses our virtual desktop via an ipad, because they are using a platform provided by our servers, while in the virtual desktop application, ipad users can access Flash video. Students who have recently purchased a laptop or new device need not purchase anything else – the virtual desktop can be installed on those devices by our help desk.

The bottom line is that beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, students may choose the device or laptop that best fits their needs as a user. All devices will print on our network, and all of these devices will run the necessary programs needed for students at DCDS as long as the device is connected to the internet. The only requirements of the school are that devices have at least a 7” screen, and include a keyboard (either touch screen or actual). While tablets such as the Surface and the ipad and ipad mini are certainly usable with the virtual desktop, we encourage that students and families experience these devices before deciding on them as typing on these devices is definitely different than typing on a laptop keyboard. Once a device has been purchased, simply contact the DCDS help desk for an appointment to install the virtual desktop.

“BYOD” initiatives represent a real trend in technology use in businesses and universities. This approach allows DCDS families to customize their device choices and purchases based on what fits each student’s needs and each family’s financial circumstances. Effectively the virtual desktop has the capacity to turn an inexpensive device into a high powered laptop. Because the programs will be powered by our school’s servers, and storage will be cloud based provided by DCDS, device speed and storage capacity become less significant issues for school related uses. Students may have needs outside of school for various interests and activities, and those should be taken into account with any device purchase.

Please access the portal for information about the virtual desktop program, including devices we know will work seamlessly. If you have any questions regarding the virtual desktop BYOD program, please contact Network Engineer Matt Nelson at matt.nelson@dcds.edu, or me at Tim.Bearden@dcds.edu . We are very excited about this new era of the 1:1 student to device program at Detroit Country Day School, and believe it gives our students and families yet another advantage as a member of the DCDS family.

Twitter and Tweets...

Recently we have received reports from students regarding Twitter accounts that have been anonymously created, and used to publish disparaging and / or offensive "tweets" (online messages of 140 characters or fewer) relative to students and other members of the DCDS community.

 

If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, it is an online social media application that in some surveys is beginning to rival Facebook for popularity amongst teens. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter , and LinkedIn (a kind of business version of Facebook) have exploded in popularity and variety in recent years. These platforms allow for amazing global connectivity, and offer varied and impressive for potential use in schools, business and social interaction. If you have any doubts as to whether the social media phenomenon is here to stay, this short video will be eye-opening.

 

 

Nevertheless, there are some inherent problems associated with social media. One of the issues facing schools is the problem of cyber-bullying. In our society it is becoming increasingly common for teens to hide behind the anonymity of their computer, table or phone and post unkind things about their peers. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not unique to teens, but it has caused a difficulty for schools as we try to maintain safe, nurturing environments for students. Cyber-bullying hurts in the same ways that other forms of bullying affect students, but has the added component of a very public platform.

 

We have a Pk-12 technology committee addressing proactive steps that we do and can take, and other steps that we might be able to take in the future to educate students, faculty, staff and parents regarding social media. In the meantime, we are requesting your assistance in speaking with your children regarding their online profiles and activities, and emphasizing to them appropriate online language, etiquette, and kindness to others. If you or your children have any information regarding online accounts set up anonymously for the purpose of bullying or other inappropriate behavior, we would appreciate your assistance in sharing that information with us so that we can work to eliminate such issues.

 

For more information on Twitter, and how it works, please visit the following link to an education.com article for parents that gives good information and suggestions : http://www.education.com/magazine/article/parents-guide-to-twitter .

Admission

My wife and I recently saw the new Tina Fey and Paul Rudd movie Admission. While this blog is certainly not intended for movie reviewing, it is an enjoyable, if not Oscar worthy, film. More pertinently, many parents, educators and students will see themselves or their institutions in certain scenes from the movie, which centers around a Princeton admissions officer's interaction with a student to whom she may have a personal connection.

As we are closing out a very successful college admissions cycle, which saw our students achieve the goals they set for themselves in terms of college opportunities, we have students choosing schedules for next school year. Central to their choices is concern over which scheduling decisions might have the most positive impact on their college admissions applications. Our College Counseling department has a great philosophy - "College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won". If students and parents approach scheduling with this philosophy in mind, it will be hard to misstep.

Like all things in life, a student's schedule should have balance. There should be challenges and opportunities to grow, areas of passion and interest, diversity in content, and a place to have fun. We are often asked whether it is better for a student to receive a "B" in an Honors or AP course or an "A" in a regular course. There is not a universal right answer to this question. Much depends on the student's schedule and personal goals. Nevertheless, the one answer that might fit all these situations is that the student should choose based on what he or she will learn and experience in the course - not an anticipated grade.

In the movie Admission one of the main characters is a high school student who is a voracious reader who receives "5's" on multiple AP tests without taking the course. He is a self-described didactic with incredible ability and insight, but a poor high school record. The debate over his admission plays out on screen, and while there is little doubt the young man has the ability to succeed anywhere, there is question over how he will adapt to an environment like Princeton. That is at the crux of every college decision - whether a university is the right match for an individual student's skills, preparation, personality, and career aspirations. Rarely is that decision made based on a course selection, but rather on the balance of a student's record.

College - A match to be made, not a prize to be won....

"Authentic" Assessments...

Historically educators have been very isolated. The nature of traditional school day schedules leaves little time for teachers to talk with one another about their practices and to learn from one another. In recent years, many schools have turned to what have been termed "Professional Learning Communities" (PLCs) to give teachers more opportunity to work collaboratively and develop strategies to impact student achievement. This practice has proven successful in many iterations, and in fact we employ it at Country Day. More recently schools have adopted the concept of professional "rounds" that is common in medical professions. In this concept, teachers make visits to one another's classrooms to learn how others implement curriculum, and to open collegial conversations. This practice gives teachers the kind of big picture look at their school which has historically been reserved for administrators who are often not teaching any longer. It is during my own "rounds" in our schools that I gain the greatest insights into what is happening in classrooms.

One of the educational buzz terms these days is "authentic" assessments. The concept is essentially that students be able to demonstrate application skills that require authentic uses of their knowledge as opposed to artificial assessments that require cold memorization and regurgitation of facts. In recent rounds at our Upper School, I have observed many wonderful examples of authentic assessments that engage students in high level critical thinking:

* In a recent visit to an English classroom I observed a faculty member using students' propensity for "tweeting" in tightly worded blurbs. He required students to find succinct "tweet" length statements that summarized key components of a complex piece of literature. This approach resulted in students using an economy of words for a good purpose, and put the assignment in a context that resonated with students and the way they often communicate. The instructor implicitly and explicitly made the point that sometimes an economy of word choice has real "authentic" usefulness, and students were forced to think clearly to meet the requirements.

* In a visit to an AP Government classroom I observed a teacher using an interactive website to teach students re-districting. Each student brought their mobile device to class, logged into the site, and was given a complex set of instructions to re-district a hypothetical geographic area to benefit their hypothetical political party. The game was played as a competition, and students applied skills they had learned in class to an authentic exercise.

* In a recent visit to a 4th grade classroom, I observed students constructing a tee pee out of raw materials in a way similar to characters in a story they read had done. This exercise gave the students a real understanding of the complexity of the task.

"Authentic" assessments require students to use that which they have learned in real and meaningful ways. Sometimes parents, teachers, and even students, feel that assessments have to be stapled, multi-page "events" in order to give an accurate perception of student knowledge. The truth is that sometimes that approach is appropriate, and other times not. If we're being honest with ourselves, the tests that we "crammed" for and successfully passed by regurgitating information often did not result in lasting understanding of content. On the other hand, circumstances that required the application of knowledge to new and unfamiliar problems stay with us because the assessment is itself a learning experience.

As we continue our work towards a more exploratory, project based program of curriculum and instruction, part of our task will be to develop authentic ways to assess student learning. Putting that theory into practice, instructional rounds allow teachers to develop their own skills by analyzing the approaches of others and comparing and contrasting them to their own.