District Administration - July/August 2011 - (Page 14)

Br iefings NewsUpdate Toughest Bullying Law in the Country to Take Effect This Fall New Jersey kNew it had a bullying problem after a 2009 study from the Centers for disease Control and Prevention showed that the percentage of students bullied in the state was one point higher than the national average. The momentum surrounding the antibullying movement in the state peaked last september when a rutgers University student, tyler Clementi, committed suicide after his roommate streamed a video of Clementi with another male student over the internet. state legislators then moved quickly to pass the anti-Bullying Bill of rights on Jan. 6, 2011, which will be effective sept. 1. Thus far, the bill has proven to be the toughest statewide antibullying legislation in the country. “The goal is to get people to know how to report it, investigate it, and deal with it,” says Leonard dietzen, an attorney who represents school boards and districts with rumberger, kirk & Caldwell in the state of Florida. dietzen wrote “New Jersey Gets tough on harassment and Bullying,” in School Leader, the publication of the New Jersey school Boards association. an investigation will begin the day after a bullying incident occurs, and there will be a 10-day deadline to resolve the issue. school safety teams will be formed A candlelight vigil held for Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi who committeed suicide last fall. His death prompted a strong anti-bullying bill across New Jersey. and administrators will be disciplined if they do not investigate complaints, and the state will grade school districts on how effectively they tackle problems. in december 2010, U.s. secretary of education arne duncan sent a memo to state leaders outlining best practices to combat bullying. he highlighted effective laws in other states, including Florida’s, because it defines prohibited conduct, and Georgia, which prohibits the retaliation of those who report incidents. although the superintendent of Glen rock (N.J.) Public schools, david Verducci, agrees with many elements of the law, he feels the bill may have been a “knee-jerk reaction to the crisis du jour” and that complying with new state regulations will cost districts and may not tackle the central issue. “i would have preferred the state set up standards and allowed districts to figure out how to meet those standards. One size does not fit all,” says Verducci, who explains that Glen rock, a suburban district of 2,600 students, already has a strong bullying policy and that restructuring it will cost a few thousand dollars. dietzen, however, would like to see more states adopting similar policies. “There are still many unanswered questions,” he says, “but this is a great step.” Librarians Readying for Common Core The Common Core STaTe STandardS are bringing Some changes to curricula across the country—but not just in the classroom. School librarians are preparing for the shift and its new emphasis on 21st-century skills including information literacy, primary resources, independent thinking and complex texts. The new York City department of education—the nation’s largest school system—is relying on its library staff to implement these standards in the coming years. The american association of School Librarians (aaSL) has taken the first step toward helping librarians by offering the Common Core Standards Crosswalk, a diagram that outlines how the aaSL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and the Common Core State Standards align. The organization is also reaching out to state affiliates to create an online database of lessons to share best practices for implementing these newly emphasized skills. This fall, some new York City librarians will begin supporting text complexity, which is one language arts element of the Common Core standards. “The Common Core has a different way of assessing texts,” says barbara Stripling, director of library ser14 July/August 2011 vices for the new York City School Library System. “normally, we’re used to assessing quantitative readings based on how many words are in a sentence or in a passage. The qualitative measure focuses on ideas and concepts.” during the 2010-2011 school year, three pilots were conducted in new York City schools that focused on curriculum mapping and assessments for the Common Core. Schools in the district will adopt additional components of the standards each year until the schools are ready for full implementation by 2014. resources in the libraries are changing as well, as 50 percent of texts will be informational, even in elementary schools. “i see us using a lot of primary resources and digital access to really help teachers find those texts,” says Stripling. according to meghann Walk, library director for bard high School early College of manhattan of the new York City public school system, it’s vital for librarians and all members of a school to be on board for the transition to the Common Core. “We are supportive teachers, not just resource providers,” says Walk. “We need to be aware of what each department is doing.” District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - July/August 2011

District Administration - July/August 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Facilities News
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
The Social Media Dilemma
Is Year-Round Schooling on Track?
After 50 Years, Ethnic Studies Still Controversial
Finding the Right Purchasing Solution
Look, Listen, Learn
Research Center
Supervisor’s Opinion
Going Mobile
Superintendent’s Insight
Books
Product Focus
New Products
Online Edge

District Administration - July/August 2011