Survival Skillsby Kay Ryan, Poet LaureateHere is the virtuein not looking up:you will be the onewho finds the overhang out of the sunand something for a cup.You will rethink meat;you will know you haveto eat and will eat.Despair and hope you keepremote. You will notthink much about the boatthat sank or other boats.When you can, you sleep.You can go on nearly forever.If you ever are deliveredyou are not delivered.You know now, you werealways a survivor.  I've always considered wrestling a spirit-quest kind of sport.  It has a deeply personal, introspective, and transcendental quality.  It can, in its raw form, teach us something about our character and will.  Stripped of all the trappings, it's you against your opponent—strength, speed, technique, stamina, intelligence, tenacity, and perseverance. In many ways, wrestling can be a parallel for the struggles we face in life. It is the instinctual response, in the moment, to the challenges or opportunities we face, relying on our experience, knowledge, skills and habits, which set us up for success in the long run. To survive and thrive, on the mat, and in life, these are prerequisites. It's why Ryan's poem speaks to me:  If you ever are delivered you are not delivered. For the wrestler, there's always another opponent, another workout, another few pounds to cut to make weight. I think the same can be said for each of us metaphorically—personally and professionally. Great strength and empowerment come from that knowledge. And sometimes, the magic touch of a “shaman” can help us find our way.

I'd like to introduce you to a group of personal “life coaches” in our schools. These men and women are LAP/Grad Advocates whose responsibilities include guiding a group of selected high school students to ensure they earn the right to dance a “pomp and circumstance” jig down the aisle at commencement. Their work is not easy and can, at times, seem daunting. But they are getting results!General Colin Powell, former secretary of state and chair of the America's Promise Alliance, often cites Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s simple but powerful statement: “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” I couldn't agree more. Our mission is about student success— equipping our students with the knowledge, skills and habits to be college, career and life ready. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that our graduates are competent, responsible and compassionate citizens. For our young people, a high school diploma is the gateway to future success. Yet, as a nation and a school district, we have some work to do to get more kids across the finish line—particularly students of color.  For the past two years, the Alliance has been traveling the country, raising awareness about how high dropout rates and low readiness for college and work compromise the nation's future. In nearly all 50 states and 55 cities, the Alliance has convened Dropout Prevention Summits that have brought together nearly 30,000 mayors and governors, business and community leaders, school administrators, students and parents. Those communities have committed to concrete action plans designed to improve graduation rates. This past year, with support from President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the Alliance launched an aggressive campaign—Grad Nation—to improve high school graduation rates one community at a time. Nationally, about one in four public school children drops out before finishing high school. That's 1.3 million students a year—one every 26 seconds and 7,000 every school day. For the record, public schools have improved significantly over time. According to U.S. Census data from 1947-1950, the national graduation rate hovered in the low 30 percent range. Yet, the world our students face is much different than the world of our parents or grandparents. Post-secondary success in the 21st century requires a different set of skills and abilities.  How have our Vancouver students fared? Better—with a promising horizon in 2012 and beyond.  Thanks to the leadership and collaboration of our high school principals and associates, counseling teams, LAP/Grad Advocates, faculty and staff, parents and families, partners and community, we're making a difference together. Our on-time graduation rate (preliminary data) for the class of 2011 is more than 71 percent, up by seven percentage points from 2010. That's right—a seven-point gain. Our extended graduation rate is more than 75 percent. In student terms, that equates to approximately 100 more on-time graduates than in the prior cohort year. Leading the way was Hudson's Bay High School, which saw its on-time rate improve by 10 percent. These are great numbers that should make all…

This past month, Vancouver Public Schools hosted the second annual weLearn Technology Showcase.  The event highlighted the ways in which our schools are transforming student learning through the use of 21st century technology.  iPods, iPads, laptops, interactive whiteboards, amplification systems, robotics, responders, digital learning space, and cloud computing were just a few of the technologies demonstrated at the event.  As I said to many that evening, you could feel the “electricity” in the air.  It was palpable.  You could sense the enthusiasm, the joy, and the personal engagement each student brought to the experience.  In part, that's our vision—to create a learning environment that is flexible, dynamic, relevant, engaging, and responsive to the individual needs of students and staff.  It is about personalization that enables each student to reach his or her full potential and to become competitive in the global community.  Cool stuff!But we are also leveraging 21st century technologies to transform lives.  I'd like to introduce you to Austin Porter.  Austin is a 2nd-grader in the Structured Communication Classroom at Hough Elementary.  Austin developed normally until he reached eighteen months.  At two, the handful of words he possessed disappeared.  Austin's mom noticed huge changes in his behavior and affect.  With the help of medical professionals, Austin was diagnosed with severe autism.  One of the most difficult challenges of autism is the child's inability to communicate effectively.  For children with profound autism, communication can be guesswork.  Basic needs are easier to identify—for example when the child wants to eat or drink.  But it becomes more difficult when the child is upset and cannot tell you why. Two years ago, in partnership with the school, Austin's mother began using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy at home.  At the time, Austin would quite often tantrum when he could not communicate his wants and needs.  He also was prone to engage in self-injurious behavior.  By functionally assessing the relationship between a targeted behavior and the environment, the methods of ABA can be used to change that behavior.  Simultaneously, school staff and the family began to use a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) as a communication tool for Austin.  PECS is designed to teach functional communication.  It has been and continues to be implemented in a variety of settings so users have the skills to communicate their wants and needs.  PECS does not require complex or expensive materials since it uses picture symbols as the modality.  Austin used Velcro picture boards at home and at school to navigate his day.  Very often at school Austin was not aware of others.  If he interacted with anyone it was frequently in a negative and aggressive way. This year, Austin was given an iPad loaded with Proloquo2go—a full-featured communication app for people who have difficulty speaking.  With natural sounding text-to-speech voices, nearly 8000 up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, and a large vocabulary, it gives voice to the user.  For Austin, this new communication...

Music saved me. I often tell audiences this personal story to illustrate the importance of the arts and our district's deep commitment to educating the whole child. In fact, if it weren't for the dedicated music educators in the Bethel School District who nurtured my passion in music, college would not have been possible. A music scholarship to the University of Puget Sound was my ticket out of generational poverty. As a trombonist, I played in the university wind ensemble and jazz band. For more than a decade, music inspired and consumed me. I suspect that our outstanding music educators in VPS have influenced thousands of students' and graduates' lives in similar ways. This year, Vancouver Public Schools will roll out a “Balanced Scorecard” that reports on multiple measures across seven areas:  student learning results; student and stakeholder satisfaction results; budgetary and financial results; employee results; organizational effectiveness results; leadership, character and social responsibility results; and national benchmarking results. The purpose of this scorecard is twofold.  First, to tell a more complete story of student, staff, school, and district success.  Second, to use the data to inform future action positively.  The measures are broader and more balanced than just state assessment results.   One of the key performance indicators on the scorecard, for example, tracks evidence that our students have access to a breadth of program offerings that are responsive to students' needs—including the arts. Our 2010-11 scorecard reports that 100 percent of our students in grades 1-5 participate in the arts. Sixty-six percent of our middle school students, and 34 percent of our high school students participate too. That's remarkable, really, when so many other districts across our country have been forced to make painful program reduction decisions over the past several years due to state budget cuts. Even more compelling than the hard data are the anecdotal stories, the “soft” evidence that breathes life into the measures. They make the metrics dance... 

What do Grey's Anatomy and Fort Vancouver High School have in common? The TV drama won an Emmy for a program featuring medical rounds. Fort Vancouver received a Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Award for its “Learning Walks” program. Learning walks actually are a lot like medical rounds. Groups of practitioners—teachers and administrators—travel from class to class, make observations, and then share reflections in a brief post-visit conversation about lesson design, student engagement, and instructional practice. Prior to rounds, staff members agree on a specific focus and things to look for.  The observer is the learner in this deliberate practice.And the process? Instructional meetings are used to discuss, develop, and reflect on lessons in preparation for a school-wide round. Educators design a rubric to provide specific information about the focus area. The rubric evolves as teachers use and refine it to inform their instruction. On learning walk days, teams of teachers use prep periods to collect school-wide data based on the rubric. They follow learning walk norms that they developed together. The teams debrief the learning walk experience and the data collected in a setting that uses “I noticed” and “I wonder” language. The data then is reported out through an instructional newsletter and guides next steps for professional development. The process takes place four times each year.  This year the focus has been on learning targets. The Fort team looked for the following: The learning target is evident.Class activities are aligned with the learning target.Students are engaged in the class activities. Students are engaged in high-level thinking.Ninety percent of Fort's staff volunteered to participate in learning walks, observing 167 classrooms. The Fort team is committed to continuous quality improvement, and its reflective practice using diagnostic rounds is delivering results.  Fort made strong gains in reading and writing as measured by the 2011 HSPE (preliminary results)—from 63.2 percent to 71.4 percent proficient in reading and 73 percent to 77 percent proficient in writing. We celebrate Fort's accomplishments.  We also celebrate the success of all our high schools.  District-wide trends demonstrate improvement: reading scores are up by nearly 5 percent—from 76.5 percent to 81.2 percent; writing scores are up by 2.3 percent—from 82.7 percent to 85 percent.  As you know, this type of success doesn't just happen. It's deliberate and systemic.  Our own professional teams are making a positive impact on instructional quality at Fort Vancouver High School and throughout our school district. The prognosis for the upward trend is good!I know it has been a challenging year. Once again, we're being asked to do more with less. And unfortunately, some of the K-12 public policy debate around this country is more about placing blame on our talented and dedicated front-line professionals than addressing root causes, such as poverty and mobility. In Vancouver Public Schools, we're taking a broader, and some might say, bolder approach to ensuring that our students are college, career and life-ready. And we recognize that we can't do this vital work alone. We need schools, families, and communities interacting as partners to strengthen opportunities for all kids to learn and grow.Teamwork—now that's a prescription for student success! Stay well, and have a restful and renewing summer break.

Working Togetherby David WhyteWe shape our selfto fit this worldand by the worldare shaped again.The visibleand the invisibleworking together in common cause,to produce the miraculous.I am thinking of the waythe intangible airpassed at speedround a shaped wingeasilyholds our weight.So may we, in this lifetrustto those elementswe have yet to seeor imagine,and look for the trueshape of our own self,by forming it wellto the greatintangibles about us. Synergy.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  We are shaped and can shape our world to produce miraculous results—one student, one family, one school, and one community at a time.  The visible and the invisible, working together, in common cause.  That's the mission of our Family-Community Resource Centers (FCRCs)—schools, families and community interacting as partners to strengthen opportunities for students to learn and grow.  In our poverty-impacted, high-need neighborhood schools, FCRCs are reducing barriers to student learning such as hunger and homelessness.  Educators understand the importance of this work. It's about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.  Before children can self-actualize, they need to feel safe and secure.  If they don't know where their bed is for the night, their ability to focus on the day's lessons will be compromised.  We now have nine FCRCs. They are both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources.  A coordinator at each site connects families with assistance such as food, clothing, shelter, employment, transportation, medical and dental care, child care, and counseling services.  The centers are intended to be the community hub—a place of gathering and support, located on the front porch of our neighborhood schools in greatest need.  Of the nine schools with FCRCs, eight serve school communities where more than 60 percent of the students qualify for federally funded breakfast and lunch.  Six of the nine schools have more than 75 percent of students on free or reduced-price meals.  The early return on investment has been positive.  These schools have seen decreases in student mobility and discipline referrals, and increases in student achievement, daily attendance, and kindergarten readiness.  These accomplishments are some of the many reasons that Vancouver Public Schools' Family-Community Resource Centers initiative has been named one of 15 national Magna Award “Honorable Mention” winners by the American School Board Journal.  The Magna Awards recognize innovative and evidence-based best practices that advance student learning, are capable of being replicated, and are the result of collaboration between school districts and the communities they serve.  This national honor recognizes the compassion, dedication, and passion that our FCRC team brings to making a difference in the lives of students and families.  I wanted to share a couple of miraculous stories that illustrate the power of working together in common cause.Thanks again for all that you do.  Have a restful and well-earned spring break.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness … it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two CitiesThis classic novel is set in Paris and London and illustrates the tensions, social unrest, and political upheaval before and during the French Revolution. As a former humanities teacher, it's easy for me to point to literature for a lesson learned. The text is a moral allegory that teaches us about the importance of fairness and justice across all social classes. According to our state constitution, Washington's paramount duty is to “make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders.” Last year, the legislature lifted the local levy lid and permitted school districts to seek additional revenue through a supplemental levy to offset state budget cuts.  The erosion of state funding for schools and the shift of this responsibility to local communities, however, has widened the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots.”  Washington State is facing a $4.6 billion shortfall for 2011-13, and public education is not immune to significant cuts that will impact students, staff and communities. While Washington's “paramount duty” is to provide full funding for education, less than 70 percent of a school district's budget is covered by the state. In the current budget crisis, state support for basic programs and services are at risk. One proposal being considered by the governor and state legislators is the reduction or elimination of levy equalization funds, which help level the playing field for public schools in Washington. To lessen the disparity between communities and their ability to pay for education through local levies, the state provides levy equalization funds. Districts with low average property values are compensated by the state for the difference.  The average range of levy equalization can vary from $1,000 per student to zero. For example, Vancouver Public Schools receives an extra $370 per full-time student, or nearly $8.3 million a year.  That's the equivalent of 105 teaching positions, impacting average class sizes by four students.School districts such as Seattle and Bellevue receive no levy equalization funds from the state because they have large tax bases. Reduction or elimination of levy equalization would disproportionally impact poorer communities and make it more difficult for them to provide reasonable class sizes, current textbooks, bus transportation, special education services, arts and music programs, after school activities including sports. Further, if schools lose levy equalization, the gap between the property-rich and property-poor school districts will widen. And, a larger share of the state's responsibility to pay for its public schools will fall on local communities.Every student should have equitable opportunities in education, regardless of zip code. Maintaining levy equalization is the fair and just thing to do for all children in Washington state. Thanks again for all that you do.Take care,SteveThe website of the Washington State Legislature is http://www.leg.wa.gov. For more information about levy equalization, you can watch a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyxZze9yZok , or read an op-ed article on The Columbian's website at http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jan/23/legislature-must-protect-levy-equalization/.

-Not all gifts come in packages, wrapped and tied with a bow. While my children are pining for the day Santa comes down the chimney and makes his midnight deliveries for Christmas morning, their Advent calendar teaches and reinforces the concept of patience. Those of us who work in public education are accustomed to this notion of gifts unknown. It's the nature of our work. Often, we do not see the immediate results of our efforts; our influence is viewed many years later through a rear-view mirror. Research on the importance of meaningful adult relationships in the lives of students and its impact on student achievement is unequivocal. If we believe, they achieve.I recently received an e-mail from Jody ViDelco, principal at McLoughlin Middle School. At the time, she probably didn't realize that she was sending me a “gift.” She was forwarding a rap written by one of her 8th grade students. But before we unwrap this gift, let me provide some context. As you may know, one of the district's student learning key performance indicators focuses on the percentage of 7th- and 8th-grade students enrolled in AVID—Advancement Via Individual Determination—a nationally recognized program connected to the College Board. AVID is designed to equip students (many first-generation college-bound and underrepresented students) with the knowledge, skills, and habits for more rigorous coursework in high school and college.And our results?Over the past three years, the number of VPS 7th- and 8th-grade students enrolled in AVID has grown from 25 students to nearly 275 students, an eleven-fold increase.Over the past three years, the number of AVID middle schools has grown from one to four.Last year, all 6th-grade teachers district wide and 5th-grade teachers in Opportunity Zone elementary schools received AVID Student Success training designed to scaffold common teaching and learning strategies for students, including the use of Cornell notes and WICOR (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading).And, the percentage of high school students enrolled in Pre-Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate and AP/IB courses has increased from 3% to 45% in the past decade.Of course, we can look to the hard data and see progress. But I think it's more powerfully illustrated in Alejandro's voice. AVIDBy Alejandro BeltranEveryone has a seed inside,Everyone has the opportunity to shine,Whether it's tomorrow or in 60 years,You can bet I'll be ready,‘Cuz I'm learning my values now as a person,And working steady.For all my life and every day I'm alive,I'mma keep on pushing, Nobody can stop my drive,Through blood sweat and tears,I will persevere,Ride all night like Paul Revere.Keep my people at heart,       Showing sympathy and compassion,Harriet Tubman inspired my actions,Believe me I learn and try my best,“Control what I can control; influence what I caninfluence; and forget the rest.”Believe me scholars, we can learn from the least expected,Me, you, Democrats, Republicans,But we gotta stay connected.And now as I return to the beginning with my seed,AVID will let that seed grow,       And show you how to succeed,It'll show you who you are as a person,Show you your genes,Show you how to grasp these talents,       And tell you what they mean.Everybody has a face and a soul,I'm an Advanced Via Individual,       Determined to achieving my every goal.Soulful work indeed. Hope, confidence, and the skills to achieve. Sounds as if our AVID staff is delivering these gifts daily. And for that, I am most grateful.I wish the happiest of holidays to you and your family. Take time to relax, renew, and reconnect.Take care,

Vancouvers Advanced Placement heroes

I'd like to introduce you to another set of superheroes. This cast of characters is some of our Advanced Placement (AP) staff at Skyview High School.  They and their AP colleagues across the district are achieving superhuman results with their students.  I recently took a meeting with the College Board's western region representative, who wanted to share data that “blew away” the staff at the College Board. I think you'll be amazed, too.  Before I share those results, let me provide some context. You may know that several of the district's key performance indicators focus on students enrolled in AP/International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, taking AP/IB exams, and passing those exams. Our efforts with AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) are about equipping a broader group of students, many of them first generation college bound, with the knowledge, skills, and habits so they can be successful in some of the most rigorous courses offered in this country.  Equally important, AVID builds confidence in students that they have the “right stuff” to be successful in college.  Intentionally nurturing that belief in our young people has delivered early gains.According to recently released 2009-10 College Board data:•    The number of VPS students taking AP exams increased 19 percent, three times the rate of improvement at the state level and double the rate at the national level.•    The number of AP exams taken by VPS students increased 23 percent, four times the rate of improvement at the state level and double the rate at the national level.•    The number of VPS students receiving a pass score (3-5) increased nearly 17 percent, nearly three times the rate of improvement at the state level and double the rate at the national level.I am especially proud of the gains shown by our Hispanic students. Consider these facts:•    The number of VPS Hispanic students taking AP exams increased nearly 38 percent, 2.5 times the rates of improvement at the state and national levels.•    The number of AP exams taken by VPS Hispanic students increased 34 percent, three times the rate of improvement at the state level and 2.5 times the rate at the national level.•    The AP exam pass rate of VPS Hispanic students is nearly 50 percent, compared to a state average of 30 percent and a national average of 35 percent. These results floored the folks at the College Board. This type of success doesn't occur by happenstance; it is deliberate. Your focus, dedication, and commitment to excellence create the conditions for our students to excel. We need to be assertive in telling these positive stories to our community, and even in sharing them with others in our state and nation.  Given the fiscal and public policy challenges we face, now more than ever, we have to work doubly hard to highlight the bright spots in our public schools. Our kids are counting on us to be their advocates and champions. They are the testimonies that make a difference.  In this season of thanksgiving, I'd like to say how much I appreciate the work you do each and every day. I encourage you to take stock, during the holiday break, of all of your blessings: family, friends, colleagues, and our students.  Take care,