An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure When considering how best to approach potentially controversial issues it is always important

to remember the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In thinking about the various potentially controversial subjects discussed in this paper, it became evident early on that there are more options for administrators when developing storms are dealt with in a head-on manner. It may be easier to shy away from certain topics, but owning a situation before it owns you may help maintain positive community relations, provide an encouraging environment for student learning, and a create a positive workplace for teachers. This paper discusses five potentially controversial issues currently facing the Sioux Falls School District and outlines steps to prevent heated disputes and how to respond if they do in fact occur. Teacher Evaluation Implementation The National Department of Education has given states the opportunity for flexibility in meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In order to gain this flexibility, states were required to develop plans aimed at reducing the achievement gap and providing a quality education for all students. An integral part of the application process involves creating a system for evaluating teachers and principals. The new evaluation system for South Dakota is currently being piloted in select schools with plans for full implementation scheduled in the 2014-2015 school year. (South Dakota Department of Education, 2013) Although this information is clearly explained on the South Dakota Department of Education website, as well as being a prominent feature of President Obamas Race to the Top initiative since 2009, this fact seems to be coming as a surprise to many educators; Im sad to say it was a bit of a surprise to me until recently. Many teachers, undoubtedly, are still unaware that this is coming down the

pike. This particular issue highlights a deficiency in our profession a lack of political awareness amongst professional who are increasingly performing a job which is held under a microscope by the public and used as a launching pad into office by politicians. The luxury of teaching without taking part in the larger political landscape is one which we can no longer afford. As a possible future administrator, I ask myself What is my role in a situation such as this? Even as an administrator, I will first and foremost remain an educator. I feel that one of my roles in this position will be to teach and inform others. When people are educated, they are generally more thoughtful and less apt to react based purely on emotion. In this particular scenario, I believe prior information is key to heading off emotional confrontation and negativity. If teachers hear that they are going to be evaluated based on test scores, and it is possible that this is what teachers will hear whether that information is correct or incorrect, it has the potential to be highly charged. If negativity is allowed to stew through heated and repeated conversations, ones opinion seems to become set; it takes more energy and willpower to remove oneself from the surrounding cloud of emotion in order to see the topic through an unobscured lens. In order to avoid having the fog settle in around my teachers, I would inform them about the discussions being had at the district, state, and national levels regarding accountability in education. How many teachers truly understand Race to the Top or ESEA flexibility? What do these discussions mean for how we teach? What effects will the results of these discussions have on the students we teach? Understanding the background of the situation and the larger, national picture gives teachers an accurate context for understanding.

I would also make sure teachers understand how to succeed in the new evaluation process. I would be upfront with teachers in that standardized tests will be used in the evaluation process, but that this is certainly not the only point of data. Some parts of the evaluation allow teachers the option to choose their own preferred assessments for showing student growth. These preferred evaluations could include DRA scores or even teacher-created assessments. In fact, state administered assessment scores are only one category upon which teachers will be evaluated as a whole, the others being planning and preparation, professional responsibilities, the classroom environment, and instruction. Staff meetings and collaboration can be used to take advantage of teacher training tools offered by the state and generate internal ideas to help one another succeed. If, on the other hand, the process of teacher evaluation becomes an issue generating disruptive discourse and affecting the district or school culture in a negative way, it will become important, as an administrator, to address this issue and repair the working climate. This can be done by holding meetings where teachers and other affected school employees can ask questions and share frustrations in a professional manner. These meetings could also be used to show that many of the proposed areas of evaluation are already evaluated regularly anyway. In some ways, this is simply a new way of reporting the good teaching that we already know occurs in our school and across our district as a whole. Showing empathy and respect toward ones co-workers goes a long way in transforming negative communication with little value into positive communication with a goal. Curriculum Change Adopting the Investigations Math Curriculum Adopting a curriculum change, particularly one that transforms ideas about teaching and

learning which have been ingrained for generations, is surely a topic ripe for discussion and controversy. This was the situation in which the Sioux Falls School District found itself about a year and a half ago when the elementary schools adopted the Investigations math curriculum. In order to successfully implement a new curriculum, a certain amount of groundwork has to be done ahead of time. If this is done thoughtfully and a strong foundation for change is laid, the process of adopting a new curriculum will be easier and have more support from both teachers and parents. One of the first steps to take in avoiding negative controversy is to include parents and other members of the community on the curriculum committee spearheading the new adoption. Wiles (2009) emphasizes, that a school curriculum team is not made up exclusively of teachers and other building personnel [but that] involving community members and parents on such a team is a smart decision because they can serve as communicators to others beyond the school (p. 37). An important part of gaining community support is educating those outside of the school environment about the research behind why the change is necessary. This can be done in a variety of ways prior to curriculum implementation through newsletters, webinars, and open forums. The parents and community members on the curriculum committee will have essential roles to play in this process. Post-implementation, it will be necessary for individual schools and classrooms to maintain an upfront position about the curriculum, the benefits of change, and explain what the new curriculum looks like in the classroom. During the first and even second years, teacher communication with parents will be a vital component in assuaging change-based fear. Many parents may feel as though they are no longer able to help their child with math. Some parents, as was the case recently in one of my own student-teacher conferences, may not see value in

allowing students to construct their own understanding of why and how math processes work. This may be particularly true for parents whose children struggle academically. The many ways in which children are able to solve a problem is seen as a potential source of extra confusion. Feeling powerless or helpless, particularly when it comes to ones own child, is frustrating and can lead to the development of negative feelings toward school. This is a situation that should be avoided, because we know that children learn best when their school and home function together as a team. If these steps are not taken, or if negative controversy arises in spite of them, it will be important to meet with both parents and teachers to discuss and address concerns about the curriculum. It will be important that, regardless of the format of these meetings, a sense of calm and understanding must resonate from district employees, particularly its administrators. These meetings will take place at the district, school, and classroom levels. As an administrator, I would start my amelioration process at the district and school levels in order to diffuse the anger and frustration felt by the most volatile parents before sending them to their classroom teacher for answers. Once a certain level of calm has been established, I would go forward with individual classroom meetings where parents, students, and teachers work together to show what the new curriculum looks like in the classroom and how it is being implemented with professional expertise. Chromebooks Our world is changing at an increasingly fast pace. With the development of new technologies, the term community begins to take on a whole new dimension for children of the 21st century. As educators we have to ensure that our curriculum and instructional techniques are

relevant not just to the world of today, but to the world in which our children will raise their children. Todays teachers must embrace technology in the classroom more than ever before. According to the Edutopia (2013) website, Effective technology integration is achieved when its use supports curricular goals. It must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to realworld experts (para. 1). When approaching the implementation of new technology on a school or district-wide scale, it will be important to take steps to alleviate any concerns parents might have about what their child is learning in school. At times, these parental concerns may stem from a fear of the unknown. In order to keep these fears at bay and win community support for the integration, it will be vital to educate parents beforehand about the technology, give them opportunities to learn about it, and if possible use it. To this end, it may be helpful prior to or concurrent with implementation, to offer training sessions for parents so that they can familiarize themselves with the technology and understand how their children will be using it in the classroom. Once teachers have developed a certain facility and comfort level with the technology themselves, inviting parents into the classroom or having a Chromebook Night might help cement the relationship between school and home regarding the new technology. If this issue becomes a flashpoint, it may be necessary to hold a series of open forum sessions at the district and/or school levels as a means for parents to express frustrations and concerns. I would use these meetings as an opportunity to show examples of how Chromebooks have effectively been integrated into other classrooms around the country. Additionally, I would attempt to collect impactful videos showing high levels of student engagement with Chromebooks as well as any available data demonstrating a connection between the use of this

technology and student growth. Having 1:1 technology in the classroom also allows teachers to personalize their instruction at higher levels than ever before. I would have examples of how education can be personalized on hand so that parents can see the benefits of this technology to their children. Having Chromebooks for parents to try out at these meetings would possibly help stem the tide of fear that may be the root cause of negative feelings. Adopting the Common Core Standards The adoption of the Common Core State Standards is an issue that has already proven extremely controversial. The standards became a political issue of right vs. left, Republican vs. Democrat, and as such, rational thought was clearly left behind. As someone who is looking to become an education leader, I cant help but reflect on this situation and wonder if there are any ways this issue could have been handled more effectively. The Sioux Falls School District actually began implementing the English/Language Arts Common Core Standards two year ago during the 2011-2012 school year, while the Common Core math standards were implemented for the first time during the 2012-2013 school year. The Common Core Standards, however, have been available for public perusal since March 2010. Although they have been available for several years, the CCSS have only recently become a major issue of contention for some community members. This is in large part due to conservative media promoting the CCSS as a violation of states rights. Perhaps schools and districts should have taken more time to educate parents about the realities of the Common Core and why common standards are needed to ensure equity in education regardless of where one grows up in America. This community education could have taken place in a variety of formats; webinars, small group, large groups, newsletters, open forum, or teacher/parent dialogues. The purpose

behind these information sessions would be to disseminate factual and unbiased information about how and why the standards were developed. As part of our Common Core community education initiative, we would have shown examples of how the standards are aligned from one grade to the next, thus benefitting our children with a level of cohesion not seen before. Prior education would also include showing the community how these standards will be implemented in the classrooms and how they will benefit our childrens ability to compete in a global workforce, thus making sure the countrys future is in solid hands, even if those hands are, at the moment, very small. Unfortunately, we are on the other side of the issue at this point. Because adopting the Common Core has been incentivized by the Obama administrations Race to the Top program, many people believe that these standards were developed by the government and thus represent a federal intrusion into a sector that has historically been controlled at the local level. Getting people to back away from their ingrained political beliefs is a difficult task for any organization but, as educators, it is best for our children when their parents support what were doing in the classroom so we have to try to assuage concerns and calm the anger as best we can. One way to do that would be to hold open forum style sessions at the district, school, and classroom levels to answer questions and address concerns. My vision of leadership involves making sure that administrators do their part to calm the scene before any topic of discussion is brought to the classroom level. Once meetings have been held at the district and school levels to educate and answer difficult questions, then an open house style Common Core Night could be implemented in the classrooms to answer more specific grade-level questions.

Smarter Balanced Test Results With the creation of new K-12 education standards comes the adoption of new standardized tests to assess student learning. Considering how controversial the new Common Core Standards have been, I truly feel this topic has the potential to become very heated. It is in our best interests to keep the community informed about why and how the test will be administered, what the expected results will be, and how those results will be used to improve student learning. Although no states have used the Smarter Balanced Assessment it wont be fully operational until the 2014-2015 school year it is possible to look at test results from other states that have taken assessments based on the Common Core Standards. According to Mowicz (2013) in The Atlantic, The first tests based on the Common Core standards were administered in Kentucky in spring of 2012, at the end of the first year of full implementation. Testing the harder standards produced worse results. Proficiency ratings were about 30 percentage points lower than they had been the year before. The same drop was seen in New York this spring when it became the second state to test under the new standards. Common Core supporters say the results are a necessary growing pain of shifting to more difficult, but still realistic expectations of students. (para. 35) Although the testing in these states was not done with the Smarter Balanced Assessment, it makes me wonder if we cant expect the same fall in test scores in South Dakota. Regardless, as an education leader, I would expect to prepare for the possibility in several ways.

Because of my background as an teacer, I immediately jump to the idea of preventing controversy through constructive dialogue and education. Preparing parents beforehand is better than trying to put a Band-Aid on a flesh wound later. In preparation, I would create a series of newsletters at the school and/or district levels to inform parents about the tests, share expectations for the first year, and explain how schools can use standardized tests to get a broad understanding of students learning needs. I would also possibly use local media to get my message out to a wider audience and allow for questions and comments from the public. I feel that if I can control the initial message without creating false promises or impressions, I will have a better chance of growing public support for the local school or district I might represent. However, if this issue were to spiral out of control, there are steps that can be taken to alleviate negativity and controversy within the community. When people are frustrated, one of the things they want the most is to have a voice and an opportunity to share their concerns. As an administrator I would attempt to give this to them in a series of meetings at the district and school levels. I would use these meetings to inform parents that lowered test scores do not indicate lower educational quality. New assessments require a new baseline and first year test scores cannot be compare to anything that has come before. Lower test scores may indicate higher standards rather than an actual loss of learning. Handling controversial subjects is part of an administrators job. However, when the potential for controversy is weighed ahead of time, more options exist for preventing full blown negative eruptions than after they have already occurred. This speaks to the necessity of administrators in showing a certain amount of prescience in weighing the volatility of educational issues. As an administrator, I would cling to the adage that an ounce of prevention

is worth a pound of cure, while at the same time having a fully stocked medicine cupboard upon which to rely in case of emergency.

References Edutopia (2013). Technology Integration in Education | Edutopia. Retrieved November 26, 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration Mowicz, S. B. (213, October 15). What Kentucky Can Teach the Rest of the U.S. About the Common Core. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/what-kentucky-can-teach-the-rest-ofthe-us-about-the-common-core/280453/ South Dakota Department of Education (2013). Highly Qualified Teachers - South Dakota Department of Education. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://doe.sd.gov/oatq/tep.aspx Wiles, J. (2009). Leading curriculum development. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.