District Administration - September 2012 - (Page 29)

of what they do, during the 2011-2012 school year, he removed or transferred administrators and teachers who weren’t aligned with student success and replaced them with what he calls “the best and the brightest—my school leaders,” right down to the basketball coach. Powell, who works closely with the Kentucky Education Association (KEA), reports that working together with unions has been critical to the success of his districts, as his district received several accolades from KEA. During the 2011-2012 school year, Powell also did away with teacher choice (a program that previously allowed parents to request the teacher they wished for their child), which forced all teachers across the district to be more accountable for their performance. “I was really concerned about putting the right leaders in the right spots,” says Powell. “In my view, performance, by itself, is relatively easy to accomplish in a short period of time as the things that are broken in public education are easily identifiable. The difficulty arises from politics, misalignment, and ineffective leadership and processes.” An unlikely degree Powell’s master’s degree in clinical psychology often helps him tune into students’ needs. “Going into some classrooms, you’ll figure out real quick why some kids don’t care about learning: it’s boring,” he says. By implementing creative classes and involving students in the turnaround process, Powell has helped Montgomery County find new ways to engage students so they actually want to learn everything they need to graduate. Sometimes that means hiding facts and figures in some fun. There’s nothing complicated about Powell’s approach: “Being a psychologist, to me it’s so clear and so simple: Connect with kids, have a high expectation for every single kid, and make people be nice to each other.” DA Jennifer E. Chase is a contributing writer for District Administration. www.DistrictAdministration.com September 2012 29 Teacher’s Pet. Why do Hitachi’s interactive and ultra short throw LCD projectors receive such preferential treatment in the classroom? They make learning faster and teaching easier. Choose from a variety of high performance models, each specifically designed to enhance the educational experience—for students and teachers. Leading edge projector technology helps stimulate the imagination of students of all ages and makes your lessons become more interesting, compelling and memorable. Vivid colors. Bold graphics. Crisp text. It’s easy to see how Hitachi’s best and brightest will become your classroom favorite. 1.800.HITACHI hitachi-america.us/projectors http://www.hitachi-america.us/projectors http://www.hitachi-america.us/projectors http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2012

District Administration - September/October 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Product Focus
Resistance to High-Stakes Testing Spreads
Postgraduation for Special Needs Students
Rick & Becky DuFour
CIo News
Getting the Best ROI in Technology
Shaping a Digital Decade
Professional Opinion
Professional Opinion
Online Edge
Going Mobile
New Products
New Directions

District Administration - September 2012